Dale Gene "Bubbles" Mortensen, age 82, of Huron, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, November 29, 2015. He received a call, an offer he couldn't refuse; and from this appointment he won't be returning.
Dale's funeral service was held at 2 PM Thursday, December 3rd at Huron Church of the Open Bible with Pastor Dean Lindstad officiating. Burial was in the Riverside Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Huron Veterans Council.
Dale Mortensen was born in Holt, Minnesota, on Friday, February 10, 1933. He was one of 11 children born to Danish immigrant Carl Mortensen and Elizabeth (Betts) Mortensen.
Dale spent his childhood years in the Thief River Falls, Minnesota area. He left the family home as a young boy, at which time he worked a farm job to help support himself and the family. In 1953, he answered the call to serve and joined the United States Army where he served for just over 3 years during the Korean War. Dale received his basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and went on to become part of an artillery unit where he operated the howitzer. He was also involved in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill which was comprised of two related Korean War infantry battles during the spring and summer of 1953. These battles were fought while the U.S. and the Communist Chinese and Koreans negotiated an armistice.When Dale's commitment to the Army ended in 1956, he remained in the Army reserves for several more years.
On September 8, 1964, Dale married Carol Fleener of Wadena, Minnesota. Dale and Carol began their married life together in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Dale was employed by the Armour's Corporation. During this period of time, Dale was also employed as a Pinkerton Security Guard at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was here that Dale developed his lifelong love of professional wrestling, and often told stories of having met Vern Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Henning, and the "Crusher" Lisowski who were a few of his favorite wrestlers. Dale was also an avid Minnesota Twins fan and was able to see many live games with his beloved "Twinkies" before Armour's transferred him to Huron, South Dakota, in May of 1973. Another passion of Dale's was that of coaching Little League baseball which he enjoyed doing for many years. He took pride in working with kids who were developing their baseball skills and was able to enjoy successes with the Little League ball club in the Huron area. After Dale's retirement from Armour's in 1982, he worked a number of odd jobs to supplement the family's income. As a child, Dale grew up and lived on a farm, and his love for the simplicity of farm life never left him as one of the post retirement jobs that he enjoyed so much was milking cows on a dairy farm.
To know Dale was to know that the greatest loves of his life were his family and his beloved Minnesota Twins. As Dale's health began to fail, it became more difficult for him to enjoy the things he loved. One of his fondest memories of recent years was being able to see the Twins play live one last time with both of his sons; he often spoke of this trip with great fondness. Dale will be remembered by many for his feisty spirit, his sense of humor and his desire to make others laugh. He was an avid joke teller and could often be heard singing limericks. A couple that he sang often began "there once was a man from Nantucket," or "there once was a girl from St. Paul who went to the newspaper ball." It didn't matter if it was the first time or the hundredth time that you heard Dale "singing"; the joy that he got from bringing laughter to other people was evident by the twinkle in his eyes. Another joke that he enjoyed was referring to his family as members of the president's cabinet; with himself of course being the "President." Well, Mr. President you were deeply loved by the members of your cabinet and although your term in office has come to an end, your love and legacy will live on.
Dale is survived by his wife, Carol of Huron; daughter, Anne Sacoman of Los Lunas, New Mexico; son Loren (Shari) Mortensen of Huron; daughter, Shannon (Kyle) Skovlund of Hatton, North Dakota, daughter, Kim (Mike) Anderson of Rapid City, son, Matthew (Jessie) Mortensen of Sartell, Minnesota; grandchildren, Travis Schaar, Cheyanne Sacoman, Zachary (Laura) Skovlund, Madison (Kyle) Amb, Courtney Anderson, Derek Anderson, Ethan Mortensen, Adeline Mortensen, and Stella Mortensen; great granddaughter, Harlow Amb; sister, Karen (Ken) Petersen; brother, Orville (Jane) Mortensen; brother, Arthur Mortensen; and many nieces and nephews.
Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Elizabeth; brothers, Andy (Shirley) Mortensen, Melvin (Lenore) Mortensen, John Mortensen, Jerry (Carol) Mortensen, and Allan Mortensen; sisters, Myrtle (Leonard) Holmstrom, and Blanche (Aaron) Waterworth; daughter, Kristine Mortensen, and granddaughter, Taylor "Bug" Kristine Skovlund.