Dale Harlan Nicely

Dale Harlan Nicely, born December 14th, 1959, son of Virginia and Kenneth Nicely, passed away Monday, December 8th at home with his loving family at his side. 

Dale was a strong, virtuous, and principled man who lived and held himself to a high standard. First among his ideals, was the importance of family which he dedicated his life to. He is survived by his three children: Kenny, Brooke, and Paige, and his seven grandchildren: Maddison, Caden, Lincoln, Marie, Daniel, Isabelle, and David, along with his loving sisters: Marlene, Carol, and Loretta, and his lifelong extended family: Larry, Rick, and his nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother Virginia, father Kenneth, niece Phyllis, brother-in-law Dick, and brother Ron.

He was born and raised in Kansas City, graduated Grandview High School, married Julie and raised a family. He was a home-builder and a craftsman. He took pride in being a builder, believing in quality, hard work and left behind many happy home-owners of his custom-built homes.

He loved sports and was a lifelong Chiefs fan. He was a wonderful coach to his son, and enjoyed playing softball with friends. Later in life enjoying and working at Southern Illinois and Illinois State universities, he was a passionate Saluki and Redbird, frequently attending games with Marlene and Larry.

He loved music and was a great dancer. In his early days, he taught disco dancing and instilled a love of dance in his daughters, supporting their dance troop, and was the founder and star of the Dancing Dads at their dance school.

Throughout his life, he had a deep, spiritual love of nature. He felt at home sitting by a fire, playing guitar, kayaking, and capturing amazing photos of all the beauty he found. Growing up watching westerns with his dad, he loved the unique and surreal desert landscapes, canyons, and mountains. He spent his later years with family and friends, traveling across America and visiting his favorite sites like Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks.

Dale’s Celebration of Life will be at 1:00pm on Sunday, December 14, at Johnson County Funeral Chapel and Memorial Gardens, 11200 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66210. You can donate to dad’s favorite charity, Habitat for Humanity (national), or the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. To honor him, love each other, mend fences, build something, or hop on the open road and take a trip to see something beautiful.