Obituary of Dale Lumpa
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West Branch, Iowa
Dr. Dale Keith Lumpa passed away on November 7, 2015 at age 54 near his home in Thornton, CO following a lengthy battle with cancer.
A tribute to Dale's life will be held Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 3:00 pm at the Henderson -Barker Funeral Home at 201 Pederson St in West Branch, IA. Following the tribute to his life, you are invited to share a meal of Dale's favorite foods with the family. Dale always enjoyed having a good time and no one was a stranger. He would be honored to know his life is being celebrated on this day. There will also be a Celebration of Life service held at Englewood High School in Colorado in January. In lieu of flowers, memorials received in Dale's name will be given by the family to The West Branch Strength and Conditioning/Wellness Program, lung cancer research or to the charity of the donor's choice.
Dale was born in Iowa City, IA on August 11, 1961 the son of Bill and Janet (Mickelson) Lumpa. He married Kay Frances Mackintosh on September 8, 1990 in West Branch, IA. They have two daughters, Mariah (20) and Jillian (16).
After graduating from West Branch High School, Dale played baseball at Kirkwood Community College, then completed his BS at the University of Iowa in Physical Education in 1983. He went on to achieve his Masters, Specialist, and Doctorate in Administration at the University of Missouri in 1996. Dale had a long and successful career in education that started as a PE/Health/Social Studies teacher in Renick, MO. Then he advanced to Principal at age 26, and continued to work in Administration at Simonsen Jr High and Lawson Elementary in Jefferson City, MO. After 12 years in Missouri, Dale and his family moved to Denver, CO and he began his career for Englewood Schools. Dale worked as Principal at Charles Hay Elementary. He was Principal there for eight years, then decided to go back to his first great love, Physical Education. He became the PE teacher at Charles Hay, and then eventually District Wellness Director with Englewood Schools for the rest of his career. In this position he was able to continue his passion for integrating fitness and wellness into the lives of students, teachers, and parents. Dale retired in 2014 after 30 years in education.
Dale has worked as an adjunct professor teaching classes and workshops at the University of Denver, Indiana State University, and the University of Phoenix. He has also done many presentations at the state and national level in the field of education. Dale was honored to be named as Colorado Principal of the Year finalist and was voted Colorado Middle School Physical Education Teacher of Year in 2009.
Dale cherished family time with his two daughters, Mariah and Jill, and wife, Kay. They traveled every summer, along with any other days off from school. Traveling and exploring new places was their passion. Then, Dale always loved his sports! He was a faithful fan of the West Branch Bears, Iowa Hawkeyes, Denver Broncos and NASCAR. He was very proud of the fact he was able to enjoy watching his nieces and nephews participate in their high school activities.
Dale is survived by his wife, Kay, daughters, Mariah and Jill, and his faithful dog, Willie. He is also survived by his mother, Janet Lumpa of West Branch, IA; two brothers: Bob (Debbie) Lumpa of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and Dean (Carol) Lumpa of Iowa City, IA; and one sister, Kathie (David) McIlrath of West Branch, IA. His nieces and nephews include Katie, Brian and Jesse Lumpa; Craig and Mark Lumpa; McKenzie and Matt McIlrath. He is preceded in death by his father, Bill Lumpa, grandparents John and Hilda Lumpa, and Melvin and Hazel Mickelson.