Dale Parkey

Dale Parkey

Dale Parkey of Butler Township, age 86, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 17, 2020. Dale was born in Laddonia, Missouri, to Melba Pearl (Nalley) and Earl Parkey.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Parkey, in 2014, two brothers, Donald and Billy, two sisters, Rose and June. Dale is survived by a brother, Darold, of Nevada, and a sister, Betty Sue, of Arizona.  He is also survived by his two daughters, Tonya Hittner (David), of Butler Township, Suzanne Parkey (Steve Loar), of Cincinnati, and two grandsons, Alexander and Nathaniel Hittner, of Butler Township.

He was a hard-working youth who juggled many jobs in Missouri:  he took the cows out to pasture before school for a neighboring farmer, worked for the butcher and the ice man, and sold ice cream from a mobile cart.

Dale moved to Troy, Ohio, as a teen, graduated from Troy High School in 1951, and landed his first job with Acme Precision Products. Later, he worked for Frigidaire, and then began teaching the Junior Level Machine Shop Course at Miami Valley CTC (JVS) the first year they opened in 1971, retiring in 1999.

Dale served in the US Army from 1954-1956 as a machinist apprentice. In 1956 he married the love of his life, Evelyn Joan (“Jo”) Marlow.  Dale and Jo made their first home in Springfield, Ohio, and moved to Butler Township in 1961. The high-ranking Eagle Scout designation, which he earned from Pack 85 in Troy in 1950, served him well in Butler Township when he became the Scout Master for Pack 204 that met in Cricket Holler.

Dale and Jo shared a love of nature and gardens. For several years, they helped look after the Herb Garden at the Historical Society of Vandalia-Butler, where they were lifetime members.  Dale spent many hours working with the Greenview Garden Club helping to care for the Herb Garden at Aullwood. He was a former member of Cox Arboretum, Bruckner Nature Center, and Wegerzyn Garden Center. Dale was a member of Vandalia United Methodist Church.

Dale enjoyed playing pickleball in Vandalia, plus numerous games of tennis over the years at Fair Valley Swim and Tennis, as well as Dayton Center Courts and Art Van Atta Park.

He was a good listener who went the extra mile to help everyone he met. He excelled at figuring out a solution to any problem, big or small.  He loved to tinker with and fix broken items rather than replace them. He loved to share a conversation, tell stories, and bird watch.

Some of Dale’s favorites were gingersnaps and peanut brittle.   He especially enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes and sausage gravy every Thursday at K’s Hamburger Shop in Troy.

The family will be receiving friends from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., Friday, July 24, at the Vandalia United Methodist Church, 200 S. Dixie Dr., Vandalia. Funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Michael Malcosky officiating. Interment will be in Miami Memorial Park in Covington, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made in memory of Dale to either the Vandalia-Butler Historical Society, P. O. Box 243, Vandalia, Ohio 45377 or to the Green View Garden Club, c/o Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm, 1000 Aullwood Rd., Dayton, Ohio 45414. Morton & Whetstone Funeral Home, Vandalia, is in charge of arrangements.