Oklahoma City, OK - DALE CARTER BURTNETT

OCTOBER 28, 1940-August 6, 2025

On a mild autumn day — October 28, 1940 — Robert David and Eleanor Edson Burtnett welcomed their first child, Dale Carter Burtnett, in Peoria, Illinois. Neither parent had experience with babies, and Dale's mother later said that they made anxious calls to the doctor almost daily in their determination to provide their young son with the best of care.

Dale spent his early boyhood in Chillicothe, Illinois. As a youngster, his parents presented him with a bicycle and briefly explained how it worked. Years later, Dale's mother recounted the phone call she received from a neighbor in another town, miles away, who had spotted Dale still pedaling determinedly — because no one had taught him how to stop. He was determined not to wreck his new bike.

Shy by nature but curious, Dale loved firetrucks and anything with an engine. As a teenager, he tinkered with cars and demonstrated an aptitude for all things mechanical — a talent that would shape his life's work. After graduating from Chillicothe High School, he joined the Air Force in 1958. A Cold War veteran, Dale trained as a flight mechanic and later shared tales of clandestine flights and hidden airstrips with his grandchildren.

Following his honorable discharge in 1964, Dale continued his aviation training at the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was a student in the mornings and an instructor in the afternoons. During these years, he met a young woman named Shannon Wells, helped her rebuild a small aircraft, and then taught her how to fly. Years later, she became Shannon Lucid, one of the first female astronauts in NASA history.

A business partnership with Brit Albritton brought him to Gage, Oklahoma, where he managed the Gage Airport. One day at the Airport Café, a mutual acquaintance introduced him to a young widow, Florissa Bell Weidner. A courtship ensued that involved not just Flo, but also her young daughters, Diana (age 12) and Kris Ann (age 9). On February 27, 1972, in Laverne, Oklahoma, Dale and Flo were married. Diana and Kris Ann formed the audience, and since they could not find any rice in the cupboard, they threw macaroni at the newlyweds instead.

Many people describe Dale as "the most intelligent person I've ever met." He had a multitude of interests, including history, photography, and military vehicles. Incredibly well-read, Dale could build almost anything. His workshop turned out everything from an above-ground storm shelter engineered to withstand an F5 tornado to a historically accurate, restored 1850s horse-drawn farm wagon, a classic 1960 Corvair brought back to life, and even a four-foot-long plastic toy aircraft carrier that his grandsons had found in pieces at a garage sale.

In the 1980s, Dale worked for an oil field wireline company, where his handwritten protocols remained in use decades later when his grandson worked there. While others splurged on flashy new trucks during the oil boom, Dale cheerfully drove his distinctive bright yellow open-cab military utility transport truck the 25 miles from Gage to Woodward every day.

Though not one for formal religion, Dale lived a life of service. He was always building, patching, or repairing something for someone, and he rarely accepted payment. He served on the Gage Volunteer Fire Department for many years and rebuilt Army surplus trucks to augment their fleet.

Dale's "retirement job" lasted over twenty years, during which he served as the City Manager for Gage, Oklahoma, and was ultimately honored as the Rural Water Manager of the Year for the state of Oklahoma. Intent on staying physically fit, he walked to check on all his water wells, averaging ten miles a day. Even in his final years, when he lived at Providence Place in Woodward, Oklahoma, he was known for his trademark bright yellow reflective vest and the frequency with which he wore out his shoes from walking.

In a 2016 self-written account of his life, Dale reflected: "I have a wonderful family." Telephone visits with his sister, Sue, were always cherished. He often referred to Flo, Diana, and Kris Ann as "the girls." The grandchildren were a great source of pride, and he celebrated their many accomplishments.

With his Quilt of Valor tucked around him and family close by, Dale took his last breath on the morning of August 6th, 2025, in Oklahoma City.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert David Burtnett and Eleanor Edson Burtnett; his wife, Florissa Marie Bell Weidner Burtnett; and his brother Stevan Burtnett.

He is survived by his sister, Susan Tappeiner and her husband, John of Corvallis, Oregon; his daughter, Diana Chapman and her husband Terry of Cherokee, Oklahoma; his daughter, Kris Ann Moyer and her husband, Kenneth of Gage, Oklahoma; his grandson Mikel Dale Chapman and his wife Sarah of Enid, Oklahoma; grandson Marcus Chapman and his wife Dustina of Enid, Oklahoma; granddaughter Andrea Burchfield and her husband Dusty of Oklahoma City; granddaughter Amanda Moyer and her husband Rufei Lu of Oklahoma City; grandson Luke Moyer and his wife Taylor of Oklahoma City; grandson Clay Moyer and his fiancé, Michaela of Brooklyn, New York; and great grandchildren James and Robert Chapman; Cruz Carter, Phoebe, Blue, Sky and Blix Chapman; Dagny, Jane, and Benjamin Burchfield; Jade Lu; and Shepard Moyer.

Donations in Dale's honor can be made to the Gage Fire Department in Gage Oklahoma. The Memorial Service will be held at the Shattuck Church of Christ in Shattuck, Oklahoma, on September 14th, 2025, at 2:30 pm