Obituary: Dale Lyddon

In August 1958, the family packed up and moved from Albuquerque to Parkdale, Ore., to be near Dale’s sister, Carol Goss, and family. It was a rough beginning in Parkdale as it was a tight-knit community, and the locals thought that this large family would be moving on after the harvest. The family worked hard to fit into the fabric of their new surroundings. To support his growing family, Dale worked doing various jobs until he was hired at the Harvey Aluminum Company in February 1959. Dale retired from what was then known as Northwest Aluminum in 1994.

Carolee found work with the other wives and mothers of Parkdale at Diamond Fruit Growers as a seasonal worker. They bought their first home in the community of Mt. Hood and the children started school there. In 1966, they bought a 17-acre pear orchard on what is now McIntosh Road south of Parkdale. Dale continued to work at the aluminum plant and ran the farm with the aid of their sons, who were now elementary and high school aged.

They sold the farm in 1972 and moved to Pear Blossom Road in Hood River, Ore., residing there until July 2022, when they then moved to a senior living apartment complex in The Dalles, Ore., to be near their son Phil.

When Carolee passed on Nov. 28, 2022, Dale moved to Flagstone Adult Living, also in The Dalles. Dale and Carolee had been married for 71 years. Besides his loving wife, he was preceded in death by his parents and a granddaughter, Jennifer Lyddon (Isaacson) in 2005. He is survived by his children, 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his only sister, Carol (Lyddon) Goss of Parkdale, three nieces and a nephew, and their extended families, which are many.

He was a faithful Christian and member of Tucker Road Baptist Church. Hardly a time did he and Carolee miss a service when the church doors were open. He was the head deacon and continued to be on many committees for many years. Dale was a Jack-of-all-trades. If he couldn’t fix something, he would conjure up a way to make it work. He loved making macrame lawn chairs and gave them to every friend and family member. Dale also enjoyed gardening, fishing, hunting, working with his hands, and keeping his mind busy until he suffered a stroke on June 7, 2020. Although the stroke primarily affected his ability to speak correctly and do the things he most loved to do with his hands and mind, he made a miraculous recovery and with the loving care from Carolee, he continued to live a good life.

A graveside service in celebration of his life will be held on June 3 at 1 p.m. at Pine Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, etc., remembrances in his name may be made to Tucker Road Baptist Church, 1455 Tucker Road, Hood River, OR 97031, or to Providence Hospice of Gorge.

Our special thank you to all the loving caregivers of Hospice of the Gorge and Flagstone Adult Living, who went above and beyond to keep him comfortable, and to support the family in helping care for him. He loved the attention he got from them all. A final thanks to his church family at Tucker Road Baptist Church, who have supported Dale and Carolee for more than 40 years.