1932
Dale
2015
Dale Light
April 25, 1932 — December 25, 2015
Goodland, Kansas resident Dale Eugene Light, 83, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, entered into eternal rest on December 25, 2015, due to complications after surgery.
He was born on April 25, 1932, in Ruleton, Kansas, the son of Jennie Oleta (Bradshaw) and James Glen ‘Sam’ Light. He grew up as the son of a farmer in Sherman County, Kansas. After school, he spent several years as a surveyor before entering the United States Army in 1953 to serve in the Asia Pacific during the Korean War. Dale was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On November 12, 1966, he married Rita Helen Daniels at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland. In December of 1966, the couple moved to Golden, Colorado, where Dale joined Coors, and they settled down and started a family. Dale later moved into sales and worked for Randy’s Meats. Eventually, this job led to a transfer in 1978 to the oil-boom town of Casper, Wyoming, where they lived until 1986 when the oil-boom ended and they returned to the Denver area. Dale worked in sales until his retirement in 1998. In 1999, they returned to Goodland.
Dale had a passion for genealogy. He spent thousands of hours at libraries, cemeteries, on the internet, and in written correspondence, chasing down ancestors and their stories. He shared his work generously, publishing history books for many immediate and extended family members. This work is a precious gift to so many and is just one of the beautiful legacies that he left for his family.
Dale kept busy every day and even published a lengthy autobiography in 2009 as a gift to his children and grandchildren. He loved country music and always had a longing for a career as a disc jockey.
Preceding him in death were his parents Glen and Jennie Light; brother Jerry Lynn Light; brothers-in-law Joe, Gary, and Damien Daniels; as well as his beloved dog Jetta.
Surviving family includes his wife for forty-nine years Rita Helen Light of Goodland; daughter Lisa Coleman and her husband Ken of Gillette, Wyoming; daughter Julie Fonseca and her husband Cameron of Commerce City, Colorado; grandchildren Matthew, Mary, Michael, and Nicholas Coleman, all of Gillette, Wyoming; brother David Light and his wife Janie of Phoenix, Arizona; sister Iris Gotchall and her husband Pete of Plano, Texas; nephews Brian, Shane, Greg, and Robert; several much-loved nieces and nephews from the Daniels family; sisters-in-law LaDonna Corder and her husband Jim of Perry, Iowa; Diane Roulier and her husband Larry of Brewster; brother-in-law Jack Daniels and his wife Nancy of Muscatine, Iowa; and also many beloved cousins of the Light family.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, December 29, at 10:00 AM MT, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland, with Father Norbert Dlabal presiding. Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Goodland Cemetery.
Vigil will be on Monday, December 28, at 6:00 PM MT, at Koons Chapel in Goodland. Friends may share their respects one hour prior to Vigil.
Memorials may be designated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church or to Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter, and may be left at the services, or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 N. Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555. Online condolences: www.koonsfuneralhome.com
He was born on April 25, 1932, in Ruleton, Kansas, the son of Jennie Oleta (Bradshaw) and James Glen ‘Sam’ Light. He grew up as the son of a farmer in Sherman County, Kansas. After school, he spent several years as a surveyor before entering the United States Army in 1953 to serve in the Asia Pacific during the Korean War. Dale was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On November 12, 1966, he married Rita Helen Daniels at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland. In December of 1966, the couple moved to Golden, Colorado, where Dale joined Coors, and they settled down and started a family. Dale later moved into sales and worked for Randy’s Meats. Eventually, this job led to a transfer in 1978 to the oil-boom town of Casper, Wyoming, where they lived until 1986 when the oil-boom ended and they returned to the Denver area. Dale worked in sales until his retirement in 1998. In 1999, they returned to Goodland.
Dale had a passion for genealogy. He spent thousands of hours at libraries, cemeteries, on the internet, and in written correspondence, chasing down ancestors and their stories. He shared his work generously, publishing history books for many immediate and extended family members. This work is a precious gift to so many and is just one of the beautiful legacies that he left for his family.
Dale kept busy every day and even published a lengthy autobiography in 2009 as a gift to his children and grandchildren. He loved country music and always had a longing for a career as a disc jockey.
Preceding him in death were his parents Glen and Jennie Light; brother Jerry Lynn Light; brothers-in-law Joe, Gary, and Damien Daniels; as well as his beloved dog Jetta.
Surviving family includes his wife for forty-nine years Rita Helen Light of Goodland; daughter Lisa Coleman and her husband Ken of Gillette, Wyoming; daughter Julie Fonseca and her husband Cameron of Commerce City, Colorado; grandchildren Matthew, Mary, Michael, and Nicholas Coleman, all of Gillette, Wyoming; brother David Light and his wife Janie of Phoenix, Arizona; sister Iris Gotchall and her husband Pete of Plano, Texas; nephews Brian, Shane, Greg, and Robert; several much-loved nieces and nephews from the Daniels family; sisters-in-law LaDonna Corder and her husband Jim of Perry, Iowa; Diane Roulier and her husband Larry of Brewster; brother-in-law Jack Daniels and his wife Nancy of Muscatine, Iowa; and also many beloved cousins of the Light family.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, December 29, at 10:00 AM MT, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Goodland, with Father Norbert Dlabal presiding. Burial, with military honors, will follow in the Goodland Cemetery.
Vigil will be on Monday, December 28, at 6:00 PM MT, at Koons Chapel in Goodland. Friends may share their respects one hour prior to Vigil.
Memorials may be designated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church or to Northwest Kansas Animal Shelter, and may be left at the services, or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 N. Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555. Online condolences: www.koonsfuneralhome.com
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