Dale F. Fritts

Dale F. Fritts, 65, of Lehigh, died Tuesday, March 8, 2011, at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge.

Dale's wishes were to be cremated. Visitation will be Saturday, March 12, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at Carson - Stapp Funeral Home in Dayton. Memorial services will be held 3:00 p.m., Saturday, March 12, 2011, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Fort Dodge. The Rev. Richard Graves & The Rev. Margaret Jackson will officiate. Burial will be at West Lawn Cemetery in Lehigh at a later date.

Dale Franklin Fritts was born on July 13, 1945, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the son of Woodrow and Gladys (Karasek) Fritts. He graduated with the Fort Dodge High School class of 1963, and attended Iowa Central Community College before serving four years in the Army Reserve. In 1962, Dale moved to Lehigh. He was united in marriage to Jolene M. Ruthart in 1966. He was employed by United States Gypsum in Fort Dodge from 1967, until retiring in 2007.

Dale was a member of the Fort Dodge Rifle and Pistol Club, International Benchrest Shooters Association, National Benchrest Shooters Association, and Lifetime Member of the N.R.A.

During Dale's retirement he spent much of his time in his gun smithing and woodworking shop.

Survivors include his wife, Jolene Fritts; daughters Kiley (Wael) Sanduka, Nichole (Brent) Feickert; son, Joseph (Elizabeth) Fritts; six grandsons and one granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Anne Fritts; parents, Woodrow Fritts, Gladys Fritts Johnson, and Robert Johnson; sisters, Jo Schreiber and Kaye Cooper; brother, Don Fritts; and grandparents, Pauline and Frank Karasek, and Clarence and Carmalete Fritts.

Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.