Dale Baltzell

Dale Baltzell, 59, longtime Moses Lake resident and retired Moses Lake Police Officer, passed away Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at the Moses Lake Assembly of God Church, 431 E. Brown Ave. with Police Chaplain Mike Alvarado officiating. The Moses Lake Police Department and other local law enforcement groups will provide honor guard and military rites. Arrangements are in care of Kayser’s Chapel & Crematory, Moses Lake.

You may sign the guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com.

Dale was born March 7, 1950 in Bemidji, Minnesota to Glenn and Lilia (Hunt) Baltzell. In 1953 the family moved to Glendive, Montana where they lived until 1959 when they moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Dale finished his education in Coeur d’Alene, graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1968. While in high school, Dale became very involved in the drama club as an actor in many of the school plays and drama presentations.?He also became skilled in writing and enjoyed, throughout his life, writing short stories that he shared with his family.

Following high school, Dale enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1968 serving a tour in Vietnam. He was married to Kim Doty, whom he had courted through letters and visits home, on August 25, 1972 in Coeur d’Alene. He continued to serve in the Air Force and was stationed at McChord Air Force Base where he was a member of the Honor Guard until his honorable discharge in 1974.

They then moved to Ephrata where Dale worked at a John Deere dealership for a summer. He became a dispatcher for the Ephrata Police Dept. and in 1976 was hired as a police officer by the Moses Lake Police Dept. He was one of the first to attend and graduate from the Police Academy in Lacey, WA in the 1970’s. Over the years of his career he especially enjoyed the challenges and time he worked as a detective. He retired from the police department in March of 2008 with thirty-three of service. In retirement he had worked as a substitute school bus driver where he enjoyed interacting with the students.

He was devoted to his family and loved going to and supporting the activities of each of his three children as they were growing up. He was a active member of the Moses Lake High School Booster Club over the years. Dale had a great sense of humor and loved to video tape family activities and delighted in teasing his girls by videotaping the license plates of their date’s cars. He also enjoyed taking family members for rides on his motorcycle. Dale’s passion of traveling was heightened in his later years as he and Kim took several trips including Montana, Yellowstone, Canada and all over Washington State.

He is survived by his loving wife Kim of thirty-seven years at the family home; two daughters and sons-in-law, Lori and Major Matthew Holmes, US Army, Fayetteville, NC, Angela and Ryan Nordhus, Spokane; one son, Adam Baltzell, Moses Lake; parents, Glenn and Lilia Baltzell, Coeur d’Alene; one sister and brother-in-law, Gaynette and Jim Brooks, Appleton, WI; one brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Debbie Baltzell, Spokane; six grandchildren, Jacob Holmes, Samuel Holmes, Benjamin Holmes, Rebecca Holmes, Kendall Nordhus and Sutton Nordhus; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorials be made to Fisher House, an organization that helps families of injured military personnel. Information on making contributions can be found on their website: www.fisherhouse.org