Obituary for Dr. Dale Stevenson
Charles Dale Stevenson was born on August 30th, 1935, in Waxahachie, Texas, as the second child of Charles "Charlie" Franklin Stevenson and Mattie Lou Reagor. He passed away on April 4th, 2023, at his residence in Waxahachie. Dale is survived by his wife Barbara and her two children David and Dean Splawn of Reagor Springs, his 3 children Andy and wife Lorie of Boyd TX, Lori Brookshire and her husband Mike of Fort Worth TX and Ted of Boyd TX. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant daughter, his brother Ray and his wife Carla. He was an active member of First Baptist Waxahachie and his physical inability to continue singing in the choir was a low point in his life.
Dale's life was marked by numerous achievements, and his contributions were significant, both to his family and his community. He was a man of many talents and passions. He did everything from pick cotton by hand to performing anesthesia for open heart surgeries, to flying vintage war birds and to loving his family and friends deeply.
Dale started his professional career as a public school teacher, coach and administrator where he made a positive impact on the lives of many young people. To supplement his income during the summers and weekends he drove rock trucks, delivered cattle feeders and worked as a carpenter. He made two forays into cattle ranching that involved killing rattle snakes, being kicked and bucked off horses, birthing calves in the snow and a lifetime of other adventures.
Realizing there was more to life than chasing kids and cattle, Dale went back to school to pursue his passion for nursing anesthesia. He earned his Nursing Anesthesia degree and returned to Waxahachie in 1975, where he practiced anesthesia in the same hospital where he was born. Over the years, he administered countless epidurals for women in labor, and he performed around 16,000 cataract surgeries with Dr. Galen Kemp. His passion for learning was unrelenting, and he even earned his Ph.D. in anesthesia at the age of 79.
Dale was a patriot and followed in the footsteps of his father, several great uncles and his brother by serving in the USAF, attaining the rank of Major and deployed to Germany during Desert Storm. To say that he was upset about the demise of American patriotism is to say nothing at all.
Dale's love of flying was unquenchable, and he became an accomplished private pilot who owned vintage war birds. His passion for flying eventually led him to become a member of the T-28 Flying Trojans, and he played an instrumental role in their relocation to Midway Airport here in Waxahachie.
Golf figured prominently in Dale’s life even though he wasn’t very good at it. A conservative estimate is that he played 9000 rounds at Waxahachie Country Club. He enjoyed golf trips with his friends. When he wasn’t playing golf at the Country Club he was playing cards where the rules of the games were as dynamic as Texas weather.
Dale's love for his family and friends was evident by the numerous individuals who gathered to celebrate his life. He cherished his golfing and card-playing buddies, as well as his neighbors in the Katy Lake edition. His summer evenings were spent driving around the neighborhood on his golf cart, making frequent stops to chat and discuss world affairs, farming, and the weather. He loved holidays with their associated grand spreads of food, the cheer of celebrating the bounty of life, and the bonds of family and friend.
Dale Stevenson's passing has left a void in the lives of those who knew him, and his contributions to his community and his country will be deeply missed. We are all diminished without his presence but know that beyond this land of parting, losing and leaving, lies a summer land of bliss where we will rejoin him.
Visitation will be held Thursday, April 6, 2023 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm with service to follow at 2:00pm at Boze Mitchell McKibbin Funeral Home Chapel in Waxahachie, Texas.
Dale's life was marked by numerous achievements, and his contributions were significant, both to his family and his community. He was a man of many talents and passions. He did everything from pick cotton by hand to performing anesthesia for open heart surgeries, to flying vintage war birds and to loving his family and friends deeply.
Dale started his professional career as a public school teacher, coach and administrator where he made a positive impact on the lives of many young people. To supplement his income during the summers and weekends he drove rock trucks, delivered cattle feeders and worked as a carpenter. He made two forays into cattle ranching that involved killing rattle snakes, being kicked and bucked off horses, birthing calves in the snow and a lifetime of other adventures.
Realizing there was more to life than chasing kids and cattle, Dale went back to school to pursue his passion for nursing anesthesia. He earned his Nursing Anesthesia degree and returned to Waxahachie in 1975, where he practiced anesthesia in the same hospital where he was born. Over the years, he administered countless epidurals for women in labor, and he performed around 16,000 cataract surgeries with Dr. Galen Kemp. His passion for learning was unrelenting, and he even earned his Ph.D. in anesthesia at the age of 79.
Dale was a patriot and followed in the footsteps of his father, several great uncles and his brother by serving in the USAF, attaining the rank of Major and deployed to Germany during Desert Storm. To say that he was upset about the demise of American patriotism is to say nothing at all.
Dale's love of flying was unquenchable, and he became an accomplished private pilot who owned vintage war birds. His passion for flying eventually led him to become a member of the T-28 Flying Trojans, and he played an instrumental role in their relocation to Midway Airport here in Waxahachie.
Golf figured prominently in Dale’s life even though he wasn’t very good at it. A conservative estimate is that he played 9000 rounds at Waxahachie Country Club. He enjoyed golf trips with his friends. When he wasn’t playing golf at the Country Club he was playing cards where the rules of the games were as dynamic as Texas weather.
Dale's love for his family and friends was evident by the numerous individuals who gathered to celebrate his life. He cherished his golfing and card-playing buddies, as well as his neighbors in the Katy Lake edition. His summer evenings were spent driving around the neighborhood on his golf cart, making frequent stops to chat and discuss world affairs, farming, and the weather. He loved holidays with their associated grand spreads of food, the cheer of celebrating the bounty of life, and the bonds of family and friend.
Dale Stevenson's passing has left a void in the lives of those who knew him, and his contributions to his community and his country will be deeply missed. We are all diminished without his presence but know that beyond this land of parting, losing and leaving, lies a summer land of bliss where we will rejoin him.
Visitation will be held Thursday, April 6, 2023 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm with service to follow at 2:00pm at Boze Mitchell McKibbin Funeral Home Chapel in Waxahachie, Texas.