Baker City, Oregon
M. Dale Spencer, 75, a lifelong Baker City resident, died Dec. 28, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
His graveside funeral will be Monday at 1 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Bishop David Richards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family following the service for a luncheon at the L.D.S. Church, 2625 Hughes Lane.
Dale was born Oct. 10, 1929, at Baker City to Maurice Leslie and Esther Mae (VanLeuven) Spencer. He graduated from Baker High School in 1948 and went on to Penn State University where he graduated with a degree in business.
In 1951 Dale enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was honorably discharged in 1955. He served during the Korean War and was stationed in Japan. Dale was a very intelligent man — after reading the military’s manual on discharges and finding it incorrect, he rewrote the manual and it was accepted word for word. He served as a staff sergeant and received two medals, the medal of Good Conduct and the Korean War Medal.
After the war, Dale returned to Baker City and worked for Ellingson Lumber Co. In 1968, he purchased a farm on Pocahontas Road. The family lived on the farm until 1990, when they sold and moved to Ben Dier Road.
Dale was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman, but most of all he was a family man. He loved his children and grandchildren more than anything. He was a former member of the Elks, and a member of the L.D.S. Church.
Dale is survived by his wife of 56 years, Connie. Dale grew up as Connie’s next-door neighbor, and the couple were married on Sept. 3, 1948, in Baker City. He is also survived by his two sisters, Dorothy Cupples of Irrigon and Dolores White of Baker City; his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Sue Spencer of Boise; his grandchildren, Brandon and Kara Spencer of Boise; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice L. and Esther M. Spencer; and two sons, Larry Dale and Michael Trent Spencer.
Contributions in Dale’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in care of Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, December 31, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
