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April 5, 1947 - July 5, 2019

Dale is survived by his wife of 43 years, Rita; his daughters, Lisa and Heather; his son, Geof; his grandchildren, Samantha, William, Thomas, Marie, Charlie, and Emily; his mother, Darlene; his sisters, Sharon, Marilyn, Diane, and Rosie; and his brother, Richard.

 

Dale Francis Mitchell, 72, of St. Peters, Mo., died July 5, 2019, in Garrison, N.D.

Dale was born in Valley City, N.D., on April 5, 1947, to George and Darlene (Kincade) Mitchell. The family moved to Eagle Bend, Minn., and then moved to Garrison, N.D., in 1949. Dale was the oldest of six children and took his role as big brother seriously. Shortly after graduating from high school, Dale served with the First Air Cavalry in Vietnam from 1967-1969. He then attended Minot State University and graduated with an accounting degree in 1974.

After college, Dale met his future wife, Rita, when both worked as Department of Defense interns in Rock Island, Ill. They married on September 20, 1975, and made their home in the St. Louis area. They were married for 43 years and had three children and six grandchildren.

Dale spent his career working for the Department of Defense. Dale and Rita welcomed their first child, Lisa, in 1978. Shortly after, they built a home in St. Charles, Mo., where they lived for 18 years. They had two more children: Heather, born in 1980, and Geofrey, born in 1982. When Dale and Rita’s office relocated to the Huntsville, Ala., area in 1997, the family moved to Madison, Ala. They lived there for six years and moved back to St. Peters, Mo., in 2003, after Dale and Rita retired in 2002.

Dale made regular trips back home to North Dakota to hunt, fish, and visit family. He obsessed over the Minnesota Vikings and Twins and rooted for Minnesota and North Dakota college teams. He also loved traveling and taking long cross-country road trips. He was strong-willed, fiercely loyal, and devoted to his family.

Dale is survived by his wife, Rita (Roth) Mitchell of St. Peters, Mo.; his daughters, Lisa (CJ) Schultz-Haskell of O’Fallon, Mo., and Heather (Dustin) Hayes of St. Charles, Mo.; his son, Geofrey (Elisha) Mitchell of O’Fallon, Mo.; his grandchildren, Samantha Schultz, William Schultz, Thomas Schultz, Marie Hayes, Charlie Hayes, and Emily Hayes; his mother, Darlene (Kincade Mitchell) James of Garrison, N.D.; and his siblings, Sharon Luloff of Brainerd, Minn., Marilyn Grimsley of Underwood, N.D., Diane Schauer of Garrison, N.D., Richard Mitchell of Bismarck, N.D., and Rosie Rader of Mandan, N.D.

Dale’s father, George Mitchell, and stepfather, Clifford James, died earlier.

Dale was inurned in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, N.D., on July 10, 2019. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2019, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cottleville, Mo. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.