Dale Eugene Ragan

http://qctimes.com/news/local/obituaries/dale-ragan/article_2a2ae97...

MISSOULA, Mont. — The daughters of Dale Eugene Ragan wish to invite you to join us in remembrance of our father at a celebration of his life. Let us gather to share stories about this man's long, productive, remarkable life.

The celebration will be Saturday, Nov. 26, at Jane's Place, CASI, 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport, located at the southernmost entry of the building, 563-386-7477. Hours are noon-4 p.m. A light lunch will be served.

Dale was born Jan. 15, 1927, to Homer and Florence (Simpson) Ragan in Burke, South Dakota. He died peacefully of natural causes on Friday, Nov. 11, in Hamilton, Montana.

Like many of his generation, he served with honor in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

After the war, he returned to Davenport and began to build skills as a pipefitter. In 1958, he joined with his brothers Bud, Bob and Larry to form Ragan Company (Ragan Mechanical). Even though Dale officially retired in 1983, the business is still successful after 58 years. Dale took pride in his dedication to work. His goal was to always conduct business with integrity.

In 1952, Dale married Maudie “Dutch” Yoakum. Together they raised seven daughters. Along the way, Dale and Dutch had a strong, positive influence on many young girls and women through fast-pitch softball. So dedicated to these young softball players, they built a softball diamond in the backyard for practices. Many will remember the teaching legacy of hard work, winning and sportsmanship that characterized those years of softball (Go Whoppers!). Dale and Dutch were also the parent sponsors of the Central High School Class of 1965. Young people were always welcome at the Ragan house.

The big sky of Montana was a shared dream of Dale and Dutch. In 1979, they moved to the Nine Mile Valley outside of Missoula, Montana. In June 1980, our beloved mother died at the age of 52. After her death, Dale remained at the ranch, enjoying hunting, horses and working in his shop.

In 1986, Dale married Kathy Olson, who preceded him in death in 2013.