Dale Edward Kelley, 87, of Sauk City, went to his heavenly home on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. He was born of a humble background in Sioux City, Iowa, to Joseph and Ethel (Meacham) Kelley. When at 12 he lost his dog, Babe, to distemper, he vowed to become a veterinarian and cure animals of all kinds—a big dream for a young man living in a tarpaper shack, but the dream never died. He graduated from Long Beach Poly Tech High School in California and joined the service where he went to the University of Utah, the University of Southern California, and Gonzaga University in Seattle, Washington instead of being deployed because of his high test scores. There he was trained in engineering and became a pilot. He received an honorable discharge in 1946. He immediately enrolled in the Pre- Veterinary program at Iowa State University at Ames. He worked as much as 30 hours a week while in Pre-Vet and Veterinary school. He received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and ultimately settled in Sauk City in 1951 opening a practice where he lived and worked the rest of his life, practicing veterinary medicine for 60 years, the last 10 of which working with his son, Dr. Joe Kelley, at the Sauk Prairie Small Animal Hospital.



Dale was one of the founders of the Lake Wisconsin Country Club, the Sauk Prairie Airport, the Sauk Prairie Trap Club, the Sauk Prairie Optimist Club, and the Cayman Veterinary Service in Grand Cayman, British West Indies. He served as a commander of the American Legion and was a member of the Men's Club, Knights of Columbus and Ducks Unlimited. Dr. Kelley was president of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association in 1973 and was instrumental in bringing the veterinary school to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dale was a pilot, an avid outdoorsman, a member of St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Roxbury and St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Sauk City.



Dale Kelley is survived by his wife, Donna (Baines) Kelley. Dale is also survived by four children, daughter, Cindy (Wayne) Anthofer of Colorado and their sons, James and Jack; son, Joseph (Jodi) of Prairie du Sac and their daughters, Morgan and Brenna; daughter, Patti (Brian) Criswell of Michigan, and their children, Natalie and Jeffrey; and son, Tim and Tim's girlfriend, Tawny Gregory, of Madison. He was preceded in death by his parents, two infant brothers, and sisters Evelyn Tagliarini and Deanna Darensbourg; and by his in-laws, Ted and Betty Baines.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 from 4-7pm at the Hooverson Funeral Home in Sauk City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 11 a.m. at St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Roxbury. Burial will be in St. Norbert's Cemetery in Roxbury following the church service with military rites.