Dale Lee "Buck" Simkins
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D - June 3, 2012
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Dale Lee "Buck" Simpkins, US Army,
age 73, of Palisade, Colorado, died Friday, May 18, 2012, in South
Bend, Indiana, after suffering a massive heart attack.
Born in Milwaukee, WI, March 27, 1939, to Dale and Alice Simpkins,
as the oldest of five siblings, he graduated from Whitefish Bay
High School and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder.
At CU, he met his lifetime companion of almost 51 years, Merrilyn
Kay Decker. Dale served in the Army as an enlisted Solider and an
Officer at air-defense missile-sites throughout the country and in the
Dominican Republic; during the 'Bay of Pigs' missile crisis. He is a
proud Vietnam Veteran who earned several Bronze Stars for Valor.
He continued to serve in many posts and locations, retiring in Texas
after 23 years of service. After retirement, Dale relocated his family
to Palisade, CO, and served as an administrator of the Colorado
State Veteran's Nursing Home in nearby Rifle, CO. Dale retired
from state service, and spent his remaining time in Palisade enjoying
his family and his many interests.
Dale received a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University
of Colorado and a Master or Business Administration from
Boston University. He was a member of the Grand Junction Elks
Lodge, the Palisade Lions Club, the American Legion, and the Veterans
of Foreign Wars. He was an avid golfer, a lucky fisherman,
and an accomplished bowler.
Dale Simpkins is survived by his wife, Merrilyn (Decker) Simpkins;
his children, Alicia (Dathan) Bicoy of Molokai, HI; Alan (Carrie)
Simpkins of Flagstaff, AZ, and Jamie (Tess) Simpkins of Loveland,
CO. He was a proud grandfather of eight grandchildren, Ayla,
Dohna, Xrystina, and Decker Bicoy, and Benjamin, Emma, Andrew,
and Abigail Simpkins. Dale is also survived by three sisters, Bonnie
(Allan) Streitz, Jeanie Simpkins, and Debbie Taylor. He we predeceased
by his father, Dale A. Simpkins; mother, Alice (Rowland)
Simpkins, and younger brother, Allan Simpkins.
A military memorial service and interment with full honors will be
held at the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado at
1:00 p.m., on Friday, June 8, 2012, with a memorial ceremony at the
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church the following morning, Saturday,
June 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be sent to the Grand
Valley Combined Honor Guard, P.O. Box 4438, Grand Junction,
CO, 81502. Thank you to all who expressed their remorse and love
for the passing of a great man, husband, father, brother, friend, and
Solider. Please join us in remembrance and salute.
Services are entrusted to Palisade Funeral Home.
