Dale M. Irish Jr., age 61, passed away on Sept. 1. He was the oldest son of Dale M. Irish Sr. and Wilda (Swett) Irish, born on March 14, 1957, in Vernal.
Dale was preceded in death by his father, Dale Sr.; and brother, DaRell Irish. He is survived by his mother, Wilda; his youngest brother, Dudley; his son, Kristopher; and his daughter, Oceanna. Two grandchildren made his grouchy façade melt away at their visits.
Dale lived most of his life in California, but spent his remaining years in Moab, living as a “hillbilly hippie,” as he liked to describe himself. He was an avid lover of photography, poetry, literature, cinema, music, soccer, the great outdoors, tie-dye, good food and cracking jokes. Dale never liked to do the expected, and so left this world unexpectedly and in full force, the way he lived his life.
Dale laughed loudest and best at anything inappropriate, gazed often at the stars, learned what he wanted to learn, fixed what he wanted to fix, and loved who he wanted to love. His bear hugs will be sorely missed.
Dale will be cremated, which is as close as we can get to the “Viking Funeral” he requested. Some of his ashes will be spread in beautiful places. A small bit will be kept with family, so he has the chance to haunt them and pull pranks. Lastly, a portion will be buried at Moab Cemetery on Friday, Sept. 7, at 12 p.m. Don’t be late, as Dale was ever punctual, and brightly colored attire would be preferred. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to KZMU Community Radio.
P.S. He would have wanted Bob Dylan lyrics somewhere. So, here they are: “Goodbye is too good a word, babe / So I just say fare thee well.”
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
