Obituary for Dale Keith Coffitt
Coffitt, Dale Keith
Age 81, formerly of Richfield, MN, peacefully passed away on December 31, 2018. He is survived by his loving wife, Lynn; children, Stacey (Oliva) & Heather (Erik) Cowles; grandchildren, Nicholas, Sierra, Reese, Jack & Emmalyn; sisters, Shirley Willetts & Carol Coffitt. He was a sweet kind man to those that knew him, a devoted husband, a beloved father and proud grandfather. He will forever be in our hearts and always missed.
Dale was born in Fulda, MN on December 9th, 1937 to John and Helen Coffitt. He was the only boy of four children growing up with his three sisters: Carol, Donna, & Shirley. He joined the Navy at 17 years of age and served for 4 years, traveling around the world. After serving time in the Navy, he began his lifelong career at Honeywell where he detailed the executive cars and mastered the art of cribbage with his co-workers.
At age 32, Dale took notice of Lynn, age 21. His next-door neighbor, not a little girl anymore. Their love grew quickly, and they didn’t waste much time. Not even a year later, on May 14th, 1971 they were united in marriage at her parents’ house in Minneapolis. They welcome two children into the world, Stacey and Heather and now have five grandchildren. They enjoyed 47 years of marriage together.
In 1990, Dale made the choice to seek recovery through an AA care group and remained sober for the remainder of his life. This was an accomplish he was always very proud of, as was his family.
Following his retirement in 1996, Dale took on lots of new interests which included bingo, shooting pool, being a great handyman tinkering with many things and taking on various home improvement projects while enjoying more time with his family. He took pride in his collection of Department 56 Snow Village pieces and had a huge display that he left out year-round for all to see. He loved being outside and working in the yard whenever possible. He was an avid sports fan, with a great love for football and his favorite team the Green Bay Packers. Throughout his life he had a great love from man’s best friend “his dogs.” His dogs were just like family and always had a special place in his heart. He had a great love for music and really knew how to dance. One thing he loved about where he lived was taking part in the great Minnesota Get Together. Lastly, Dale loved reading the newspaper and watched the daily news, keeping up with current events.
To his family, he was very much a child at heart, always a young spirit. He loved going down slides with his grandchildren, playing games, shooting hoops, hula hooping, singing and dancing right up until he left us. Dale was always full of life and very active until the very end. His smile and sense of humor lit up the room. Not to mention he was quite silly at times and loved a good practical joke. He was a true conversationalist.
Dale always enjoyed a good barbeque and a great home cooked breakfast but let’s not forget about his snacks. He loved buttered popcorn, pumpkin roll and Bridgeman’s Butter Brittle ice cream along with his lifelong love for Pepsi.
In April of 2015, on Easter Day, Dale joined his family at church for service and a pancake breakfast where he found the Lord and accepted Jesus in his heart. He had a great love for Jesus and we take comfort in knowing he is with Our Lord and Savior.
After his wife Lynn suffered a massive stroke in April 2016, his devotion and love for her really shined through. Dale was by her side almost daily, driving a half hour each way to visit and help take care of her.
In the weeks preceding his death, Dale received new hearing aids and had successful cataract surgery on each eye. In all of his excitement, he was telling everyone that he was going to be a “new” Dale in 2019. He’s now a “new” Dale in heaven perfect and new in all ways possible.
Memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 5th, 11 AM at Woodcrest Church, 525 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN. Visitation - 1 hour prior to service. Internment at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.
Age 81, formerly of Richfield, MN, peacefully passed away on December 31, 2018. He is survived by his loving wife, Lynn; children, Stacey (Oliva) & Heather (Erik) Cowles; grandchildren, Nicholas, Sierra, Reese, Jack & Emmalyn; sisters, Shirley Willetts & Carol Coffitt. He was a sweet kind man to those that knew him, a devoted husband, a beloved father and proud grandfather. He will forever be in our hearts and always missed.
Dale was born in Fulda, MN on December 9th, 1937 to John and Helen Coffitt. He was the only boy of four children growing up with his three sisters: Carol, Donna, & Shirley. He joined the Navy at 17 years of age and served for 4 years, traveling around the world. After serving time in the Navy, he began his lifelong career at Honeywell where he detailed the executive cars and mastered the art of cribbage with his co-workers.
At age 32, Dale took notice of Lynn, age 21. His next-door neighbor, not a little girl anymore. Their love grew quickly, and they didn’t waste much time. Not even a year later, on May 14th, 1971 they were united in marriage at her parents’ house in Minneapolis. They welcome two children into the world, Stacey and Heather and now have five grandchildren. They enjoyed 47 years of marriage together.
In 1990, Dale made the choice to seek recovery through an AA care group and remained sober for the remainder of his life. This was an accomplish he was always very proud of, as was his family.
Following his retirement in 1996, Dale took on lots of new interests which included bingo, shooting pool, being a great handyman tinkering with many things and taking on various home improvement projects while enjoying more time with his family. He took pride in his collection of Department 56 Snow Village pieces and had a huge display that he left out year-round for all to see. He loved being outside and working in the yard whenever possible. He was an avid sports fan, with a great love for football and his favorite team the Green Bay Packers. Throughout his life he had a great love from man’s best friend “his dogs.” His dogs were just like family and always had a special place in his heart. He had a great love for music and really knew how to dance. One thing he loved about where he lived was taking part in the great Minnesota Get Together. Lastly, Dale loved reading the newspaper and watched the daily news, keeping up with current events.
To his family, he was very much a child at heart, always a young spirit. He loved going down slides with his grandchildren, playing games, shooting hoops, hula hooping, singing and dancing right up until he left us. Dale was always full of life and very active until the very end. His smile and sense of humor lit up the room. Not to mention he was quite silly at times and loved a good practical joke. He was a true conversationalist.
Dale always enjoyed a good barbeque and a great home cooked breakfast but let’s not forget about his snacks. He loved buttered popcorn, pumpkin roll and Bridgeman’s Butter Brittle ice cream along with his lifelong love for Pepsi.
In April of 2015, on Easter Day, Dale joined his family at church for service and a pancake breakfast where he found the Lord and accepted Jesus in his heart. He had a great love for Jesus and we take comfort in knowing he is with Our Lord and Savior.
After his wife Lynn suffered a massive stroke in April 2016, his devotion and love for her really shined through. Dale was by her side almost daily, driving a half hour each way to visit and help take care of her.
In the weeks preceding his death, Dale received new hearing aids and had successful cataract surgery on each eye. In all of his excitement, he was telling everyone that he was going to be a “new” Dale in 2019. He’s now a “new” Dale in heaven perfect and new in all ways possible.
Memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 5th, 11 AM at Woodcrest Church, 525 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN. Visitation - 1 hour prior to service. Internment at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.