Robert L. Dale

1938 - 2023

Robert L. Dale, 85, of Saratoga, CA, died in San Jose on November 15, 2023, surrounded by his family, after a brief illness.Robert was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1938 to Oran and Frances Dale. After graduating from Roswell High School, he spent one year at Tulane University before transferring to the University of Oklahoma where he majored in Zoology and joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. His senior year, while driving his white convertible Corvette, he spotted Patricia (Tricia) Joan Vedder sitting on the steps of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and declared to his buddy, "Who's that? I'm going to marry her!" In 1960, they married in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas and celebrated with a modest reception with cake and punch at the church. Later in life, having become a wine connoisseur, Robert made sure that at their 50th wedding anniversary, they celebrated with wine and good food surrounded by family and friends.From a young age, Robert aspired to be a doctor. As a child, he often practiced medicine on his pets, placing splints on his chickens after they had been injured in the yard. He later applied to one medical school, Stanford University, and was accepted. Once there, he decided to specialize in urology because it offered both clinical and surgical expertise. During his medical residency at Stanford, Robert & Tricia moved to Mountain View where Tricia taught 3rd grade and they started a family. They would later move to Saratoga and build their lives there.Robert would start his medical practice by joining a well-established urologist in San Jose. There, he grew to become a well respected and sought after medical specialist and pillar of the Good Samaritan Hospital community where he cared for patients for over 30 years. Always interested in the development of new technology, Robert realized that lithotripsy was the future of kidney stone treatment and became one of the founding members of the Northern California Kidney Stone Center. Outside of his love of medicine, Robert's passion was travel, especially trips to international destinations including early trips to the former Soviet Union, China and to Sweden where he bought his first Volvo station wagon and became a huge ABBA fan. Later in life, he and Tricia made fond memories and lifelong friends while participating in study trips to Europe, Africa, and the US. For Robert, the outdoors was a place to recharge and relax. Traveling to ski resorts in Utah, Colorado, or California was something he looked forward to each winter. Duck hunting was another one of his passions. In his youth, Robert spent time hunting the fields of Roswell. As an adult, Gustine Gun Club became a retreat from work and a place to spend time with the longtime friends he interacted with there year after year. Once duck season started in October, Tricia often proclaimed herself a "duck widow" until the end of January. For Robert, it wasn't just about getting his limit, but the time out in the blinds watching the sun come up and spending time in nature. He particularly liked bird watching and teaching his son-in-laws and grandson how to hunt responsibly.Robert always made time to socialize with friends. He and Tricia were known for their themed dinner parties (including one epic disco party) where they would spend hours talking, laughing, and sharing their lives over good food and wine. Robert was known to put on his cowboy hat and dance the two step with Tricia. Later in life he enjoyed attending the lectures at the Saratoga Men's Club, playing a round of golf at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and meeting with friends for a weekly dinner at La Riconada. Robert will be remembered for his love of family. He especially valued celebrating holidays, family members' birthdays and other special occasions in the home that he and Tricia shared for nearly 50 years. He took pride in his family and frequently shared their recent activities and accomplishments with others, so much so that one friend commented to him that they knew more about his grandchildren than they did about their own. Robert will also be remembered for his quiet strength, his strong work ethic, his thoughtful advice, his belief in making sure that everything was fair and equal, and living life to the fullest. His family will also remember him for his loving and attentive care of Tricia during their last years together.Robert will be dearly missed by his family. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patricia Joan Dale; his sister, Susan Dale Wright; his three daughters, Kimberly Damore, Melissa Dale, and Alison Neymark; his sons-in-law, Edward Damore and Alex Neymark; and his 9 grandchildren, Alexis Dale-Huang, Fiona Dale-Huang, Kathryn Damore, Juliana Damore, Nelson Damore, Caroline Damore, Natalie Neymark, Leah Neymark, and Ryan Neymark.A celebration of life for Robert will be held on Friday, December 29th at 11 am at the Los Gatos Presbyterian Church where he was a longtime member. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to the Los Gatos Presbyterian Church.