Dale V. Geraets, 53, of Dell Rapids passed away on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at Avera McKennan Hospital. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at St. Mary Catholic Church, Dell Rapids. Interment will be in the St. Mary Cemetery, Dell Rapids. Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Kahler Funeral Home and will resume at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church with a Christian Wake service beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2012. The family will be present to greet friends and family at both the funeral home and the church on Friday.
Dale Vincent Geraets was born on November 3, 1958 in Dell Rapids, the son of George and Joyce (Nyhus) Geraets. He graduated from Sioux Falls Washington High School in 1977. Dale married Laura Buthe on July 10, 1982 at St. Mary Catholic Church, Dell Rapids, SD. They made their home in Dell Rapids, where they raised their two children, Autumn and Ryan.
While Dale had a variety of interests, his passion was being a Restaurateur, which he achieved by owning The Huddle with his father from 1982 to 1989. Due to his desires of spending more time with his family, he sold The Huddle and worked for Carlisle Plastic.
When renal failure occurred in 1992, Dale began his courageous battle of weekly dialysis for 21 years. During part of this time Dale was employed with the Dell Rapids School District. If Dale could have, he would have continued in the restaurant business but illness prevented this from happening. Only through his strength did he endure this journey without complaint. Nothing was more important to Dale than family. His wife Laura and two children, Autumn and Ryan were his rock. Dale was extremely fond of his family and could be found entertaining them with his humor, his antics, and his unforgettable whistle. Dale loved to hunt, play pool, play cards, and anything that involved spending time with family. If he could have, Dale would have traveled.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Laura of Dell Rapids; his daughter Autumn (James) Meier of Dell Rapids; his son Ryan Geraets; his mother Joyce Geraets of Dell Rapids; his brothers, James (Constance) of Dell Rapids, Ronald (Kathleen) of Ft. Collins, CO, George Jr. (Linda) of Sioux Falls, Richard (Jean) of Sioux Falls; his sisters, Marie Kelm of Dell Rapids and Lori Clark of Sioux Falls; his in-laws Kenneth and Mae Buthe; his brother-in-laws, Mike (Lori) Buthe and Mark (Gloria) Buthe; his sister-in-law, Lynn (Dan) Meints; and numerous uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, grandparents, two nephews, and two great-nephews.