Dale Pfeifer

Russell Dale Pfeifer was born February 10, 1935 in Galion, Ohio to Ruth (Minor) and Russell A Pfeifer. He died December 5, 2015, at 80 years of age, at home.

As a boy he grew up in Galion, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. Then the family moved toVermillion, South Dakota where his father started a new career. As ministers do move around, four years later they moved to Helvey, Nebraska. There he met a farm girl. After 2 years of college, Dale decided he did not want to follow his dad's career, so he ran off to join the US Navy.

Two years later he was the preacher's son who married the farmer's daughter, on June 16, 1954. Sallie Shane and Dale were married for 58 years, and four children were born to this union. After 2 years of military life, the couple settled down to farming, and raising cattle and hogs, near Daykin, Nebraska. Then on to a dairy farm near Alexandria, Nebraska,also doing custom hay work. The family moved to the village of Alexandria, where he owned and operated Dale's Service, Gas & Tires. He was also rural mail carrier and clerk in the post office, and Postmaster in Belvidere, Nebraska. In 1980, Dale and family moved to Davenport, Nebraska, where he was Postmaster for 20 years.

Dale loved making things work, automotive or electronic. Then, once he made something work, he took it apart and changed it. His first love was cars, and in 1964 he bought his first Nomad. From then on, the Nomad was king. Life at the Pfeifer home was trips to the salvage yard for parts. Then Nomad Club activities, all over the USA, Nova Scotia, and Canada. Oh what fun he did have.

Then came retirement, and plans for restoration projects in his dream garage. But a year later plans changed and a different direction was in store. A slowly progressing muscle disease was a life changing diagnosis. Dale fought the deteriorating episodes and a new focus began. Computers and photography became new hobbies. Dale could make his computer do things no one designed it to do. He could add people to photos even when they hadn't been there. He rigged a remote for his camera to use when his fingers no longer would bend.

His power chair took him lots & lots of places--but he couldn't run away from home, because he couldn't cross the railroad tracks. He got stuck in the sand in California, and stuck in the mud in Nevada. He rolled down Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. He did surprise folks in Silver Dollar City when he took a corner around a tree on 2 wheels. But he had the most fun spinning circles on the main floor of Pershing Auditorium at an Eastern Star fancy do. He and his chair danced with his granddaughters at their weddings.

He enjoyed his new tv/computer room on the back porch. He listened to blue-grass gospel music and watched netflix daily.

The day before he died he went for a ride. He drove his chair out the back door, down the ramp, across the back yard, and went 2 yards over to check out the garage project at Littrell's. Sallie wouldn't let him drive in the front door on the carpet, so he came in the back door, was lifted and settled in his big chair. Then Sallie could hose off the mud, pine needles, leaves, and chunks of grass gathered on his adventure. The fact that he was wearing only a silk night shirt, no socks, and didn't fasten his seatbelt, never bothered him in the least. He just said he wanted to check out the project, and enjoyed the ride. Sallie was scared he'd fall out of his chair going through the mud.

Dale served on many boards in the Davenport community, including Lion's Club, Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, United Methodist Church treasurer, and was Web Master for the Chevrolet Nomad Association.

Dale always said you teach your children by setting a good example, and he always did.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his much loved grandson, James Cannon. He is survived by his wife Sallie, daughters Laurie and her husband Gary Johnson, Carol Cannon, Darla Pfeifer, son Darrin and wife Kelly Pfeifer, 7 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, many cousins, a community of friends, and 500 members of the Nomad world in the USA, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia.

MEMORIALS TO THE DAVENPORT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION