Dale D. Mooberry, (94), died peacefully Sunday night June 11, 2017 at Brookestone Village in Omaha, NE. He was the only child of Charles and Dorothy Mooberry of Crete. Dale is survived by his wife of nearly 69 years Marjorie (Nuckolls) Mooberry from Fairbury, daughter Debra Bodzek of Omaha and son Mark Mooberry also of Omaha. Additional family members include brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bill & Wynn Nuckolls of Lincoln, son-in-law Tom Bodzek, daughter-in-law Joy Mooberry, and uncle Glen Miller of Laramie, WY. Dale leaves behind six grandchildren: Erica, Audra, Amanda, Mark, Rachael, and Nicole as well as eight great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
After graduating from Crete High school in 1940, Dale joined the US Navy one month after the Pearl Harbor attack and served in the Hospital Corps primarily aboard the USS Monterey air craft carrier operating mainly in the South Pacific theatre. On April 29, 1944, US Navy Task Force 58 which included four carriers: the USS Yorktown, USS Cabot, USS Bunker Hill and the USS Monterey helped neutralize the Japanese naval and air base located at Truk in the Caroline Islands. A notable shipmate, who served alongside Dale while aboard the Monterey was Nebraska native and future President, Gerald Ford. Dale was discharged from the Navy January 1946 and returned home to Crete to attend Doane College. It was at Doane where he met and married Marjorie Nuckolls of Fairbury June 22, 1948 and then graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree and teachers certificate in 1950.
Dale's first school position started in 1952 at Deshler, NE as football, basketball and track coach as well as history and social studies teacher. During his five years at Deshler, he coached a top ranked undefeated football team in 1955 and had several winning basketball seasons. Also during this time he earned his Masters of Education degree from the University of Nebraska –Lincoln. In 1957 he moved his family to Superior, NE where he taught, and coached for a few years before becoming Superior's Jr. High principal. In 1965 he was hired as the school's Superintendent of Schools until his retirement in 1978. The next year Dale and Marj moved to Fairbury where Dale was the Jefferson County superintendent while Marj owned and operated Ideal Fashion clothing store. Their last move was to Omaha in 2009.
Dale loved animals and always had a pet by his side. He was also an avid and knowledgeable sports fan. His life-long favorite teams were the Oklahoma Sooners and New York Yankees. Dale enjoyed horse racing, attending his grand children's activities and being at family gatherings.
Burial services for Dale Mooberry will be at Riverside Cemetery, Crete, NE Friday June 16th at 11am.
Friends and family are invited to Crete's VFW Club following the service for conversation and lunch.