Dale Swartzendruber

Dr. Dale Swartzendruber was born July 6, 1925 near Parnell, Iowa, the son of Urie and Norma (Kinsinger) Swartzendruber. He earned his high school diploma by taking correspondence courses through the American School. From 1945-1946 he served in Civilian Public Service (CPS) in Montana and Nebraska. He attended Goshen College and later transferred to Iowa State University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Soils, and Masters and PhD in Soil Physics. He married Kathleen Jeanette Yoder on June 26, 1949, at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church. Kathleen passed away on November 8, 2012.
From 1953-1954 Dale taught at Goshen College, and from 1955-1956 he was on the staff at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1956 he joined Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, as Professor of Soils. In 1977 he moved to the University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture in Lincoln, Nebraska, and retired in 1998 as Professor Emeritus. Dale was visiting professor and scientist at Ames, Iowa; Riverside, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Tel Aviv, Israel; Cambridge, England; and Canberra, Australia. He was a member of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, and authored over 85 publications throughout the course of his career.
Church was an integral part of Dale's life; he taught Sunday School, sang in numerous church choirs and actively served in leadership roles. He was a member of Beth-El Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska. When he and Kathleen moved to Kalona, Iowa in 2008, they attended Kalona Mennonite Church.
Dale died on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at Pleasantview Home in Kalona at the age of 89 years. He is survived by four children - Karl (Lynn) Swartzendruber of Plano, TX, Myra (Patrick) Tierney of Lakewood, CO, John (Evonne) Swartzendruber of Indianapolis, IN and David (Kay) Swartzendruber of Lakewood, CO; five granddaughters, two grandsons, one great grandson, and a sister Fern Eash of Wellman, IA. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Kathleen; two sisters, Audrey Hochstetler and Mary Lois Swartzendruber; and a granddaughter Sara Kay Swartzendruber.

Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, October 25, 2014 at 10:00 AM at the Kalona Mennonite Church with Rev. Scott Swartzendruber officiating. Burial will be in the Lower Deer Creek Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, October 24, 2014 from 4-8 pm at the Yoder-Powell Funeral Home in Kalona. Memorial fund has been established for Compassion International.