Dale Lingle Keiter

Dale was born in Washington D.C. on November 9, 1938 as the youngest of three brothers.  His father, William Issac Keiter, died when he was only 10 years old. Dale and his mother, Margaret, moved to Orlando, Florida when Dale was still young, and Dale lived the majority of his life there. His mother, Margaret, later married Marvin Powell. Dale received a Bachelors degree in Math from Stetson University and later returned to school to earn a Masters degree at Southwestern Seminary.

Dale met the love of his life, Charlotte, at the Alliance Church in Orlando. He surprised her by taking her for a flight in a private airplane on their first date. They later married on August 1st, 1964 and raised two children, Sherry and Kevin, in a home characterized by mutual love and respect and a deep faith in Jesus Christ. Dale worked for nearly 30 years at Martin Marietta, now known as Lockheed-Martin, in a number of different computer programming positions. After that time, he supported Charlotte in her work as a residential real estate agent in Orlando.

Dale was an avid and disciplined jogger and could often be found running through the neighborhood in what we considered the most hot and humid Florida conditions imaginable on most summer afternoons. On his non-running days, he would lift weights and study the Bible on breaks between sets. He continued to run most days after they moved to Colorado too, even when it was snowy, icy, and we begged him not to run outside. In fact, he was still doing his almost daily runs just this past spring.     He had a strong faith throughout his life, just like his brothers who were 6 and 12 years older than he was.  The brothers enjoyed one another's company. In fact, he and his brother Joel would often discreetly maneuver in order to be able to pick up the tab for their families' dinners together. It was quite fun to watch!  Dale also loved football and could usually be found watching a game or two on Sunday afternoons after he had finished ushering at Northland Community Church.

Despite his incredible discipline, he also knew how to have fun and would often make funny faces, toss balled-up napkins at the dinner table, "share" the vegetables he didn't love to others plates when they weren't looking, to entertain the kids. He even bought a Jeep Wrangler when their youngest child, Kevin, was in high school. We're still not sure if that Jeep was for Dale or Kevin. He had a quick wit and a dry sense of humor that we all treasured and that brought a laugh to Charlotte almost every day of their lives together.    Dale had quite an affection and compassion for all of God's creatures, great and small. The Keiter home always had animals including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, mice and hermit crabs. However, the dogs truly held a special place in his heart. There was always at least one dog, and for a time, as many as three very special rescue pups. Both he and they looked forward to their walks with him every morning and every evening for many years. Though most of these sweet pets have now passed, their dog Maile still keeps watch over the home.

Dale and Charlotte shared their love of travel with both their kids.  When the kids were 13 and 10 years old, they drove the family on a vacation around the country, lasting over five weeks and covering about 10,000 miles. It seems like Dale had angels protecting him as he 'mistakenly' hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in a day with only a canteen of water! 
When both of their kid's families moved to Colorado in 2015, Dale and Charlotte left their community of 40 years in Orlando and bought a home in Castle Rock. While the winter weather took some adjustment, they enjoyed the mountains and the beautiful summer weather and found close friends and community in their neighborhood and church.  With his great skill with numbers, Dale volunteered at church by counting the offering. He was also a first responder to help others at the church during emergency events, such as the blizzard that closed I-25 one winter night leaving many people sheltered in the church's sanctuary. 
Dale is survived by his wife, Charlotte, children Sherry and Kevin(Jenni), and grandchildren Nickolas, Kristin, Emily, Joel(Bella). We will all miss him as we wait to spend eternity with him in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

His memorial celebration will be held at Ridgeline Community Church on October 5, 2023 at 2:00pm. 
  In lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest gifts made to one of the following causes that would hold special meaning...   Ridgeline Community Church - Castle Rock   Peppers Senior Dog Sanctuary - Littleton, CO   Cure Alzheimer's Fund   Best Friends Save Them All -  bestfriends.org