Dale E. Stoker
January 4, 1926 ~ January 3, 2019
Resided in:
Pueblo, Colorado
Dale E. Stoker, 92, passed away on January 3rd, 2019. He was born in a coal mining camp in the small town of Valdez, Colorado on January 4th, 1926. He is survived by his daughter Laura (Derek Townley) of Pueblo, CO; former wife Theresa Krasovec; nephew, Karol Stoker (Cindy Ramthun) of Longmont, CO; nieces Jeannine (Stoker) Belson of Denver, CO; Colleen (Stoker) Harvey (Scott) of Kennewick, WA; Penny (Stoker) Varner (John); and his lifelong friend Sel Elizondo.
Born to Alex and Margaret (nee Clark), he was the 3rd of four children. Growing up, Dale lived in Tioga and Walsenburg where he had many adventures with his brothers. Dale graduated from Walsenburg High School and shortly thereafter joined the Navy. He proudly served as a Navy Medical Corpsman during World War II and was stationed in Coronado, California.
As a child, Dale showed an early talent for art and became well known for his bucolic nature scenes. Dale was a teacher of art for many years at both Central and East High Schools in Pueblo, Colorado. After retiring from the school district, he continued to actively contribute to the Pueblo art community in many ways.
Dale greatly enjoyed genealogy and was able to trace his family tree back to the 1700's. He ultimately had the chance to travel to Scotland and visit his ancestral home in Ayrshire.
As an avid outdoorsman, Dale loved to hunt, fish, and camp. He would spend time in both Alaska and Canada to fish and take photographs. He also loved socializing with his numerous friends and family who loved him and will miss him dearly.
Many special thanks to all of the kind and hardworking staff at Primrose Retirement Community, Brookdale Senior Living Center, Sangre de Cristo Hospice and to all of the medical professionals who cared for him during the last years of his life.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 12th from 12-3 at Gus's.
Oh I sent too soon. God bless his family for their loss. May be Rest In Peace.
I’m sorry to hear of Mr. Stoker’s passing. He was a great teacher and friend. I recall I used to babysit for them when he was my next door neighbor on Horseshoe Dr. He had not to long before this became my friend on Facebook. I’m sorry to find that he had passed away. I just found this looking at obits at Montgomery Steward.
I so wish I could of thanked you for your awesomeness . You are the greatest Art Teacher ever to me. I will miss you, tell if see you in Paradise . R.I.P. Until then.
I am so sorry to learn of the loss of Dale. What a kind, thoughtful man he was. I knew Dale through my mother and aunt, Alice Joe and Lois Unfug, who were dear friends of his. He took such good care of Lois and always remembered to provide all of us with beautifully painted cards over the years.
Laura, he was so proud of you!
With much sympathy,
Barbie
Dale was a great teacher and friend during my time teaching at East High. He also substituted for me following his retirement. Mostly, I will miss his dropping into Gus’ and hearing his stories of growing up in the Colorado Coal Camps. We also fondly remember the faculty Luaus and Dales’s phenomenal volleyball playing ability. Martha and I will unfortunately be out of the country during the Celebration at Gus’, so we send our condolences here. God Bless you all.
I was a student of Mr. Stoker at East High School. My favorite class and my favorite teacher. He touched so many lives in such a positive way. May he Rest in Peace.
So sorry for your loss. Dale was a wonderful friend to my parents. My dad, Bob Imes, and Dale had many out door adventures that ended at Gus’s.
Dale was always part of the family at our gatherings. His presence will be missed.
May his memories ease your grief.
For me he sparked an interest not just in Art but also in teaching, and both things have been important throughout my life. Thank you to his family for sharing him with the rest of us.
Condolences to the family. Wonderful art teacher. Learned a lot from him from painting form to pottery. Loved to sit around and listen to his life stories.