Dale Lee Gable

Dale Lee Gable, 81, passed away in the presence of loved ones on August 31, 2014. Visitation with the family, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, September 3, Downing Lahey Mortuary West. Service, 10:30 a.m., Thursday, September 4, Milton United Methodist Church Burial will immediately follow the service at Eden Cemetery, both in Milton, KS. Dale was the youngest child of 5 born to Alton Lee “Bill” Gable and Bertha Ellen (Tuttle) Gable. He was raised with his family on a farm near Milton, and spent his childhood, through the age of 6, helping with farm chores. His chores increased and intensified at age 6 when morning and evening milking of the cows and apprentice harvest chores were added to his responsibilities. WWII interrupted family life when Dale was 9 and his older brother, Glenn, was called to serve. He turned 9 and graduated to mans work that year, harvesting alongside his father. When the harvest was in at his own farm, he spent the rest of the summer and fall helping neighbors complete their harvesting. He worked sunup until sundown and as he was now old enough to earn $1.50 per day in wages, he was responsible for purchasing his own clothes and needs of daily life. In 1953, Dale served in the US Army as a corporal during the Korean War. Upon returning home, he settled in Wichita and worked briefly at Boeing Aircraft. Following that, Dale spent the majority of his life as wholesale liquor salesman for Grant Billingsley and Hgadski. For pleasure, he spent time with his family and wore many hats in an effort to make their lives enjoyable. Among those were boys baseball and football coach and scout master. He coached softball teams for each of his daughters. Every vacation was a family vacation, usually spent boating and fishing on various Ozark lakes, until he purchased property in the Hickory Point Development at Grand Lake of the Cherokees, near Grove, OK. He was a master on water skis and made certain that his children also skied well. Many of his friends followed suit and purchased property in the same development. For decades most summers were spent there with his friends and family where he became somewhat of a social director, arranging shore breakfasts, emceeing the gong show and was in charge of the annual fireworks show. After the children were grown and gone, Dale and his wife, Lynne, developed a great passion for travel and a continued love of fishing. They purchased a 38 RV, towing a small SUV behind, and traveled every corner of the country and most spots in between. Along the road they made many friends, most in the Newmar Kountry Klub, and most whom also loved fishing. Each year they would meet up with them at numerous Newmar rallies, various national events and favorite fishing spots. Dale was President of the Kansas Kountry Sunflower Chapter and also State Director of the Newmar Kountry Klub. Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Alton and Bertha Gable; brothers, Paul Gable and Glenn Gable (Jeanne Anne); sisters, Lois Volk (Roger) and Erma Rosebraugh (Guy). He is survived by his wife, Lynne Gable; children, Rhonda Simon (Erwin) of Huntsville, AL, Cindy Howard, Tony Gable (Lori), Bill Gable, Becky Barr (Marty), Beth Anderson all of Wichita, and Scott Androes (LouAnn) of Pueblo, CO; Sue Costner, mother of his children of Wichita; 17 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with Kansas Honor Flights, 23616 S. Brownlee Rd., Turon, KS 67583 and Milton United Methodist Church, 1378 N. Argonia Rd., Milton, KS 67106.