Dale McAllister

TRAVERSE CITY — Dale Allen McAllister, 78, of East Bay Township, passed away Thursday, April 14, 2011, at his home after a 10-year fight with basal cell cancer.Born in Kalamazoo on Feb. 3, 1933, Dale was the son of Susan Rose (Cassada) and Carroll McAllister. He graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1951 and continued his education at Western Michigan University, graduating with his bachelor's degree in 1955. While attending WMU, he became a brother of Tau Kappa Epsilon. A veteran, he served his country in the U. S. Navy from 1955 until 1958, and then as a member of the Reserves until 1961. He married the former Marjory Lou Ritsema on July 16, 1955, in Kalamazoo.Dale assumed ownership and operation of his family business in 1960, Kalamazoo Food Service, and served as its president. In 1976, he became the owner/operator of The Chicken Coop on South Airport Road in Traverse City, a business he would operate until 1990. Never one to sit idle, Dale joined the Nestle Corp. in 1995, retiring from there in 2001. He then worked for DK Security from 2001 until 2009.Dale was always active in the communities in which he lived. He was a member of the American Legion and the Moose and was a member of St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Traverse City. His proudest accomplishment was being elected as a trustee of East Bay Township, first being elected in 1988, appointed to fill a term in 2003, and re-elected in 2004 and 2008. While a member of that organization, he also held positions on the Park Commission and was a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals since 2002. He loved to fish with his wife and sons on his beloved Arbutus Lake, was an avid golfer and a true blue U of M fan, owning season tickets since 1969.Dale is survived by his sons, Lee (Jill), of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Alan, of Traverse City; his grandchildren, Amber, Amanda, Alexis and Sean Dale McAllister and an "adopted son," Alan Kiel of Kalamazoo. Dale was preceded in death by his wife Marjory on April 5, 2006, and by his parents and brother, Charles.Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 912 S. Garfield, Traverse City, with Pastor Jim Nihiser officiating. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 9 until 11 a.m. at the church. Inturnment will take place at Mount Everest Cemetery in Kalamazoo at a later date.The family asks that Dale be remembered through memorial contributions to St. Michael's Lutheran Church. Please share your memories of Dale with his family by way of the online guest book at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com. The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Traverse City.