Dale Leslie McKeen, age 76, of Port Richey, Florida, formerly of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, went to his eternal home on April 1, 2019, at the Tampa VA Hospice.
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, June 16, 1943, to Alice and Leslie McKeen, Dale attended Denfeld High School and the University of Minnesota, Duluth. For a couple years, while in college, he worked as a photographer for KDAL TV.
In 1963 he enlisted in the Navy serving four years on the destroyer SS John W. Weeks which cruised the Mediterranean in 1965, transited the Suez Canal to Pakistan and joined in the ocean recovery of the US manned spacecraft, Gemeni V. Dale had loved boats and the water since childhood. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Sea Scout troop that helped the Coast Guard put out buoys in the Duluth harbor. Summers were spent as waterfront director at YMCA Camp Miller or at his uncle’s farm helping with farm chores which he dearly loved. Following his military service, he began his computer career with Control Data Corp. in Bloomington, MN and retired from Lockheed Martin.
Dale was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Leslie E. McKeen. He is survived by his sister, Lorna Podvin and nephew, Nickolai Podvin; his daughter, Mary Stafford Nunez; and his former wife, Rebecca McKeen.
At Dale’s request, he will be buried at sea without memorial service. Memorials to the MS Society or Disabled Veterans are suggested.
