Dale Lester Reynolds, 91

Dale Reynolds, 91, passed away on March 24, 2025, at Gig Harbor Washington, with his beloved children by his side. Following his wishes, a small private memorial will be held.

Born in Palmer, Nebraska, on June 27, 1933, to parents Oscar and Frances Reynolds, Dale graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics and later received an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Middle Tennessee.

A career United States Air Force officer, he piloted C-130 transport aircraft and served tours in Germany, France, Tennessee, and Vietnam as well as serving a tour in England as an exchange pilot with the British Royal Air Force. He spent five years at the Pentagon as a member of the USAF Air Staff and also served on the faculty at the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. His last assignment was as Commander of the Air Force ROTC Detachment at the University of Puget Sound.

A love of reading, learning and exploring discovered through a set of encyclopedias in his one-room schoolhouse took on new dimensions as he got to explore numerous cultures and regions of the world during his time as a pilot. Always open to what circumstances had to offer, broken airplanes and unplanned stops meant opportunities for new adventures such as the best Italian meal he ever had in Eritrea, or tickets to his first-ever ballet, Swan Lake at the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen.

He met his wife Elaine while on his first Air Force tour at Évreux-Fauville Air Base near Paris, France, where she was conducting a ski tour to the French Alps, which resulted in a 60-year marriage. He loved traveling and taking his family camping, hiking, skiing, and touring numerous cultural and historical landmarks throughout the U.S. and Europe.

After retiring from the Air Force, Dale dedicated time to his love of golf. He was a member of the Gig Harbor Golf Club for over 40 years and served as its treasurer for 23 years. He also loved to garden and grew roses and flowers which he fondly shared with friends, and raspberries, which supplied a source for Elaine’s famous jams.

He was loved by many for his kind, gentle soul and for treating everyone he met with respect and humility.

Dale was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine, sisters Dorothy and Janette, and brothers Roland and Don. He is survived by his daughter Cindy and his son Steven.