Obituary - Oren Dale Hatfield
Oren "Dale" Hatfield, 84, of Bedford, died at 12:55 p.m. Wednesday at
Westview Nursing & Rehab in Bedford.
Born April 9, 1926, in Lawrence County, he was the son of Oren Vestal and
Lillian "Bib" (Turner) Hatfield. He married Dorothy Ann Williams on July 19,
1947, and she preceded him in death on April 20, 2008.
He was a tool & die maker at GM Powertrain, retiring in 1980 after almost 32
years; he was also a minister, having pastored Liberty Baptist Church for 30
years, retiring in 2008.
He grew up in Needmore and graduated from Needmore High School in 1944. He
also completed GM Technical Training.
Dale became a Christian in about 1960, and became a member of Englewood
Baptist Church, where he became a Sunday School teacher and was also a
deacon. He later became pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Mitchell.
Dale enlisted in the Navy and was in The Amphibious Corps., landing troops
in the invasions of Pacific islands, including Okinawa and Iwo Jima.
Dale liked to hunt and fish from the time he was a boy. He has always been
an excellent marksman and put food on the table. He was an expert fisherman,
able to use any type of tackle, including a fly rod. With these tools, he
supplied hundreds of pounds of fish for our family and other families as
well.
Surviving are three sons, James Dale (Denise) Hatfield and Timothy Lew
(Carolyn) Hatfield, all of Bedford, and David Lee (Elizabeth) Hatfield of
Camby; two daughters, Sandra Gail (Ron) Mundell of Terre Haute, and Brenda
Sue (Jim) Adams of Coos Bay, Ore.; several grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; one sister, Bonnie Hatfield Kruchten of Bedford; one
sister-in-law, Rosemary Hatfield of Bloomfield; and several nieces, nephews
and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; and brother, Warren Hatfield.
Funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Englewood Baptist
Church with Pastor David Ferry officiating. Burial will be in Cresthaven
Memory Gardens with graveside rites by American Legion Gillen Post No. 33.
Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. on Friday at the Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home in
Bedford.