The frequent poster we’ve all come to know as Dale, ‘evolutionary providentialist’, passed away Friday from a brain aneurysm. His son Jeff logged in to pass that along to a forum member since he could see that Dale was an active member of this community.
…Which is an understatement. Dale is/was the only current member who has logged more reading hours (‘months’ actually) on this forum than I have - a sheepish record of mine that I was rather relieved somebody else had finally broken. Now I’m singularly up there again, buddy!
Even though his voice wasn’t always welcomed by participants here, and he could be a broken record about things that gripped his enthusiams (Maggie’s story), he sure spent a lot of time in this community, often defending it against attackers. I’m not sure the thread exists that he didn’t make any appearance in.
I don’t know if it will be appropriate here or not, but perhaps links to an obituary could eventully appear here if one becomes available.
He will definitely be missed. He was a good person. We probably all cling to something in here that we mention too often. Part of that though is because there is a small amount of people who last a year or more that’s consistent and tons of random people who show up for a few days or weeks and do the same conversation keeps popping up. I think the entire time I’ve been here it’s basically been the same handful of questions again and again for the most part.
But Dale was definitely a good person and I hope his family is able to handle everything well. I’m glad that he was not suffering. Though, maybe we all wish we had more time to spend even if it meant we were suffering. I guess I would rather suffer for a while knowing the end was near than to just suddenly pass in case things are left unsaid.
Thanks for your post, Mervin. I will miss Dale. I especially will miss his posts on the creation photos thread.
He had some beautiful pictures of cranes and deer. He lived in a lovely area, loved nature, and was especially devoted to his wife and family.
The Forum will definitely be different without his presence. I will miss the quirky sense of humor he brought, his relentless advocacy for good science and faithfulness, and trying to figure out what his sometimes cryptic one-liners meant.
Dale was a friend even though we never met or spoke in person. He kindly welcomed me when I first joined the forum and we found much to agree on and a few things to disagree about. The devotional comments he posted in the pithy quotes thread are a treasure trove I shall be returning to time and again. I do look forward to meeting my friend one day. May he be remembered as a man sincerely after the heart of God.
Edit: For anyone who may read this and is interested, this is a link to one of the devotional comments Dale posted, which also has a link to the source material which is public domain.
Some respite for the heathen and the timid, no doubt.
But at least I won’t have to hear anymore about spacetime slices and goofy omnitemporality. I’m looking forward to his correction in Heaven by the time we see each other.
I’ve located him, his wife, and their church on Facebook and am waiting for an obituary to be published, late today or by tomorrow evening, I expect.
I was looking at his forum statistics, he was a “prolific” poster here.
As a frequent protagonist I will miss Dale’s naivity and convictions. I trust he will not be disappointed with what he has found and is content with his place with God.
So long Dale, and thanks for all the grokking (Stanger in a Strange Land reference inside of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference for those unfamiliar).
We had a lot of differences but a lot in common also. I feel like I have now reached that age where I can expect to say goodbye to people I know one after another… that is… if it isn’t me that people are saying goodbye to. More than just an acquaintance, he was a comrade in the defense of science and Christianity. We will miss his contribution to the fight.
I’m sorry to hear he’s gone, especially in what sounds like such a sudden way. He certainly knew what he believed and had a desire to interact with others about it – I have to admire his grit.
I also appreciate his son letting us know – it’s such a weird thing, dealing with something as personal as death over a public forum like this. Sometimes people come and go and you never know why. It is nice to have the closure and know what happened.
Dale will definitely be missed. We had our own special back and forth conversations, but in the end we always found common ground and mutual respect for one another despite our differences. His demonstration of grace and empathy will stay with me.
Fair thee well Dale. I will seek you out in heaven, there is to be great discussion about who was right and who was wrong on these forums, however, des[pite our differences, one thing is certain, I believe that your faith surely made you whole!
Two of your posts that i will cherish and hold close.
“God’s motivation is really quite understandable, and purpose for our lives, if you belong to him, is also intimately involved in it: joy for himself in our love for him and our pride in him as our Father, and joy in us and joy for us in reciprocated familial love.”
² “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34
