Dale Martin Andersen

  Dale Martin Andersen passed away on February 13, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of love, strength, and unwavering devotion to family.

  Born on a farm in Denmark, Kansas during the Great Depression, Dale’s early life was shaped by hardship—but also by the values of hard work, resilience, and the support of his loving parents, Axel and Mary, and by a close-knit extended family. He worked on the farm, went to a one-room schoolhouse until he went to Lincoln High School where he graduated in 1948.

  In 1949, he married Lleanna Rhudy of Lincoln, Kansas. They moved to Nebraska while Dale worked as a Surveyor’s Aid, and he later joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, serving from November 1951 to November 1955. During that time, Lleanna joined him in Illinois and upstate New York, where they began their family. Their sons Jack and Barry were born there, though tragically, Barry passed away at birth.

  After the Air Force, Dale worked full-time at Boeing while earning his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1961. He also helped on his parents' farm during harvest time. The family later moved to California, where Dale enjoyed a fulfilling career at General Dynamics. Together, he and Lleanna raised their children—Jack, Terri, and Scott—with love and dedication, creating a life filled with friendships, camping, fishing, dirt bike riding, and frequent visits to family in Kansas.

  Dale retired in 1992 as Director of the Standard Missile Division, and he and Lleanna settled in the Reno, Nevada area. There, they built a wonderful community with their neighbors and spent their time with loved ones and traveling in their motorhome, including visits to family and trips with their grandchildren.

  After Lleanna’s passing in 2010, Dale found renewed companionship and joy with longtime family friend Sharon Crocker. Together, they embraced a new chapter of life, filled with travel, laughter, family, and cherished memories.

  Dale was a devoted and loving brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. He found joy in every chapter of his life and was especially proud of his family.

  Dale, you will be deeply missed and will remain in our hearts forever.

  A short graveside ceremony will be held at Lincoln Cemetery on May 21 at 10:00am.

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