Obituary

James (Jim) Dale
March 18, 1939 – May 7, 2025

James (Jim) Samuel Dale, 86, died peacefully at his home in Irvine, California on May 7, 2025, after a brief illness.

Jim was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 18, 1939. He attended St. Patrick’s Catholic School through ninth grade and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1957. Jim moved with the family to Los Angeles in 1957 when the Quaker Oats Company transferred his father there. He attended Pasadena City College briefly, before enlisting in the United States Army. He served in South Korea in 1963 and 1964. After his honorable discharge, he attended California State University at Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor of Science  Degree in Business-Accounting. Jim began his career in finance, initially as an auditor for the County of Los Angeles, and then in various positions in finance for cities in the Southern California area, including Garden Grove, Claremont, Laguna Beach, and Arcadia. In December 1999, Jim retired as Director of Finance and Administrative Services for the City of Arcadia, California. When the City Manager asked him to stay on in case of “Y-2K” problems, Jim responded “How could I possibly solve any Y-2K problem?”

For a brief time, after retirement from the City of Arcadia,  Jim worked as a financial consultant for Northern California cities but soon became a full-fledged retiree.

Jim married Gayle in December 2010. They enjoyed travels to Europe and throughout the United States. He volunteered for various organizations, including Kaiser Hospital, making lunches for the Meals-on-Wheels program, ushering at the Irvine Barclay Theater, and other charitable organizations.

Jim was an active parishioner of Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Irvine, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He attended Bible Study at the church and volunteered to help with food drives, pancake breakfasts, and other special events at the church.

He was preceded in death by his wife Gayle, his parents, William Sr. and Fern Dale, his brothers and their wives William Jr. and Mary Anne, John and Phyllis, and Robert and Betty, his sister Janet and Kent Burton, and Dennis Kling, spouse of his sister, Joan.

Jim is survived by his sister Joan Kling of Austin, Texas, many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, and his devoted dog, Abby.

Jim is remembered for his kindness, his moral character, his courage, his humor, his stories, his crazy magic tricks, and especially his love of Notre Dame football. In his words, “I loved life, and I loved my family. I was blessed in many ways.”

A funeral Mass will be said in Jim’s memory on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 10:00am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 5101 Alton Pkwy, Irvine, California. The rosary will be recited beginning at 9:30am at the church and before the Mass. A reception will follow at his home at 51 Nighthawk, Irvine. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to a charity of your choice.