Dale Alex Howerton, 83, died December 19, 2023, at Hester Care Center, Hutchinson. The son of Lucretia Hanna Howerton and Floyd Osborn Howerton, he was born April 25, 1940, in Harper, KS.
Dale lived on a farm south of Norwich until 1944, when his family moved to Kingman, where he attended school. In 1950, Dale started at the Kingman Journal as a printer’s devil until 1954, when he started high school. During his high school career, Dale excelled in football, basketball, and track. He worked as an apprentice carpenter for six summers with Don Harris, where his love of woodworking started.
After graduating high school in 1958, Dale attended Pittsburg State University. He worked in the Industrial Arts Lab, and was a member of Phi Delta Kappa. Dale graduated in 1962, with his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Education.
During the summer of 1962, Dale married the love of his life, Phyllis Young. They spent their first four years in southeast Kansas, where Dale taught and coached basketball. After earning his master’s degree in 1966, they moved to Hutchinson and planted permanent roots. They joined Park Place Christian Church, where he served on the property committee for 50+ years.
Dale taught for his first three years in Hutchinson, before becoming the Director of the Central Kansas Area Vocational Technical School in 1969. He was a lifetime member of the Kansas Vocational Association, and past President of the Kansas Industrial Association and the Kansas Vocational Association. In 1978, Dale won Educator of the Year for the Kansas Industrial Association. During 1980, he became the first director of the Career Vocational & Technical Center. Dale retired from the director position in 1997. Soon after his retirement, Dale opened Howerton Cabinet Making. His specialty was kitchen remodels; however, he could build any piece of furniture requested by a client. Dale officially retired in 2015.
Dale enjoyed hunting, fishing, raising bird dogs, furniture design and mostly, his family. He was a loving, kind, patient and gentle husband, dad and papa. His granddaughters always said “Papa’s the sweetest man we know!”
Dale is survived by: his wife of over 61 years, Phyllis; daughter, Erin (Dan) Rude; granddaughters, Taia, Tenley and Lily; and his sister, Phyllis (Dale) Wohlford.
He was preceded in death by: his parents; brother, Orman (Marie) Howerton; and brother-in-law, Robert Young and his wife Nancy.
Memorial service will be 11:30 a.m. Saturday, December 23, 2023, at Park Place Christian Church, 2600 N. Adams, Hutchinson, with the Reverend Dr. Kim Biery officiating. Friends may sign his book from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday at Elliott Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Park Place Christian Church, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.