Obit Draft

Nathan Kragh
Obituary Draft
2-7-05

He graced life’s stage with stoic determination, for whatever the task was, to get the job done and get it done right. A lover of the great outdoors, he spent most of his time building and creating, hunting and spending time with his children. Dale Owen Kragh. 54, of E2124 Crystal River Lane, died Sunday night.
Dale went peacefully in his sleep due to complications with blood clots in his lungs, something he had been battling for the past few years.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Shepard of the Lakes Lutheran Church. Pastor Dean Wheeler will officiate. Burial will be at Shadow Lake Cemetery in Waupaca following the service.
Dale was the second child born to Guy and Lois Kragh on June 30, 1950, in Athens, Wis. Soon after his birth his family moved to Manawa, Wis., where he was raised. Dale spent his summers as working odd jobs his father found for him with relatives and friends of the family, most of which included farm work and basic mechanical maintenance. The jobs that entailed the mechanical work drew him in and captured his interest.
After finishing high school he enlisted into the Navy during the Vietnam War. While enlisted dale worked in the engine room maintaining the ships engines. He was very proud accomplishing a goal of his to see the world. He traveled to China, Japan and the Philippines, and of course, Vietnam. The Philippines had especially sparked his interest and had the most profound affect on him. He would later come back to tell stories to his children about the poor conditions people lived under and how lucky he and his children were to be living in America.
Dale finished his tour of duty in the navy in Hawaii, spending the last month on the sandy beaches of the isled state. From Hawaii he traveled back to Wisconsin and back to Manawa. He enrolled himself in drafting classes at the Fox Valley Technical College.
A few short years later he applied at the Waupaca Foundry to earn some money. During that time he met his first wife, Debra Madison. The union gave birth to his first son Eric and the building a house outside of Waupaca, a house in which he did most of the building. He crafted the garage and dry walled, nailed together a back porch and built a swing set for his son. Two years later would bring his son and final child, Nathan.
His years of working the graveyard shift at the Foundry spawned a great opportunity. Dale received a job in the research and development department, where he made best use of his drafting skills. He worked 12-hour days for almost 20 years and designed various tools and machines to help the Foundry run efficiently. Dale also spent a large amount of his free time doing anything outdoors. Whether he was building a second garage, rebuilding the back porch, or fishing with his sons, he relished every minute of it. With his sons and friends he took yearly trips in the summer to the rugged forests of Ontario to camp, fish for Walleye and hunt bear. In the winter he hunted turkeys and white tailed deer.
He remarried many years later to Bette Rasmussen, after his divorce to his first wife. He is survived by his two sons and his wife.