Dale C. Boyce

Dale Carlos Boyce passed away on July 10, 2017 surrounded by his loving family.  He was born in Collinwood Township, MN on Sept. 10, 1937, the only child of Delvin Carlos Boyce and Mary Genevieve (Nordine) Boyce who both preceded him in death.  He married Roselea Midtling Nellis in 1962 and they divorced in 1991.  He married Gail Elizabeth (Sproul) Boyce in 1992.  They spent many wonderful, loving, happy, fun years together enjoying family and friends, traveling, hiking, dancing, playing tennis, camping, and fixing up their home in Lenexa, KS.  Gail feels so very blessed to have found such a loving, gentle, good man to spend her senior years with.  He will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife, of 24 years, Gail Boyce, his daughters and son-in-laws Andrea and Robert Plowman, Olathe, KS, and Sarah and Brett Mayfield, Cokato, MN,  granddaughters Ashley Talmage,  Bethany and Lora Mayfield,  grandsons Brock Goddard and Dakota Plowman, and great grandsons Hunter and Hank Talmage.   His step children include: stepson and stepdaughter-in-law Shawn and Sherri Sproul, stepdaughter Lisa Sproul, stepson Howard Jones, step grandsons Austin and Caden Sproul, Dillon Phillips and Jason Jones, step granddaughters Kristyn Sproul and Miranda and Kelsey Jones.  He was preceded in death by two children who died as infants, Daniel and Sonja and a grandson, Benjamin Mayfield, who died at the age of 3.

Dale joined the Marine Corp. in 1957, was stationed at Camp Delmar in San Diego for 4 years attaining the rank of Corporal and worked in communications.   He attended The University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State and Johnson County Community College.

Dale's father was a machinist and gunsmith in Cokato, MN and the family was very active in shooting contests and hunting.  Dale received many shooting trophies and awards throughout his life.

He was employed by Sprint from 1962 until he retired in 2006.   He started out as a lineman with Pioneer Telephone in MN and transferred to Kansas City in 1982 as a Central Office Engineer at the Sprint Offices in Gardener, KS    He represented Sprint in the Corporate Challenge Shooting contests for several years.  Dale enjoyed running and also represented Sprint in some Corporate Challenge race events.

Dale was an active community leader in the city of Glencoe, MN serving as a city councilman for 3 terms.  He established a Community Education Board and its programs.   He was very interested in Biblical history and enrolled in the "Bethel  Series" classes  receiving 100% on the final exam of 400 plus questions.  He was very active in his church, Christ Lutheran, serving:  on several church councils, planning committees, as congregational  president , as a regional and national delegate to conventions, taught Old & New Testament to adults as well as Sunday School and confirmation classes,  and performed liturgy.   He preached excellent sermons in the pastor's absence and was told by many that he should have been a preacher.  He also accompanied youth groups on canoe/camping trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Dale played 4 years of baseball at his high school and was on the wrestling team.  He raised cattle for a few years;  owned a motorcycle;  built an addition on his house in MN, helped his uncle build a rammed earth house in Rapid City, SD and spent much time updating his final home in Lenexa, KS.  He was a member of the Greater Kansas City Water Garden Society for 16 years and participated in building community ponds.  He was a foster parent to 4 girls who lived with the family at different times throughout a period of two years.  Dale was an excellent writer and impressed his professors with his fluent command of the English language.  He loved to read and he loved books henceforth accumulating an extensive library.  He liked crossword puzzles and played both scrabble and chess.

He will be laid to rest in the family plot in the Finnish Cemetery in Cokato, MN.  A Memorial Service will be held in The Wesley Chapel at The Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS on July 17 at 4:00 PM and a reception will follow.

Donations may be sent in his name to Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Ave.  Leawood, KS 66224.