Dale Arden Larsen April 23, 1939 - October 12, 2013

Dale Arden Larsen, 74, a longtime resident of Sisters, and recently of Portland, died October 12, 2013 at his home in Portland surrounded by his family.

Memorial services will be held on October 26, 2013 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Aspen Lakes Lodge, 16900 Aspen Lakes Dr. in Sisters.

Dale was born on April 23, 1939 in Kalispell, Montana. He was the younger of two sons of the late Ralph and Agnes (Hruby) Larsen. At the age of 5, Dale and his family moved to Oregon and settled in the Astoria/Warrenton area. Dale's father and Uncle Frank owned two fishing boats and pursued careers in commercial fishing. Dale's family later moved to the Florence area where he attended school and graduated from Siuslaw High School.

Dale moved to Central Oregon in the early 1960s and worked in the logging industry.

He was employed as a Knot Bumper for Brooks Scanlon on November 10, 1966 at a wage of $2.84 per hour.

In early 1970 Dale transferred to the Brooks Resources Division of Brooks Scanlon and worked at Black Butte Ranch clearing trees for the new development.

Dale's career at the Ranch led him to the Ranch Maintenance Department where he worked until his retirement in 2010 as Ranch Operations Manager and later as a consultant.

It is often said of Dale that he 'built the Ranch' and 'knew where all the bones were buried.' Dale was instrumental in the development and continued maintenance of the Ranch working with engineers in the layout of the roads and infrastructure.

Dale loved the outdoors and was passionate about hunting, fishing, trail riding and camping. He was a longtime member of the Sisters Rodeo Association and in his early years at Black Butte Ranch joined the Volunteer Fire Department. Some of Dale's fondest memories and stories consisted of reliving his pack trips in the Wallowa and Three Sisters wilderness areas. Dale also enjoyed trips to the beach and most recently his time in Portland.

Dale was a self-taught engineer and used his skills to help family, friends, and strangers alike. If there was ever an issue that needed attention, Dale was the first person 'on the scene' and was always able to help. Dale never met a stranger. Everyone who knew him loved him. He was especially close to his family and grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Jack of Portland; three children and their spouses: daughters Vonda Larsen of Bend, and Sonya Flores (Dan) of Redmond, and son Jamie (Stephanie) Newport of Portland; a brother, Don (Betty) of Eugene; and four grandchildren: Trish, Morgan, Noah and Anna; and one great-grandchild, Mia.