Dale M. Rohlf, Jr., 79
Dale M. Rohlf, Jr., age 79, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital, in Yakima, Wash., with his daughter at his side. He was born on March 15, 1941, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to Dale Sr. and Elinor (Erickson) Rohlf.
He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1958. After graduation, he worked a number of local jobs until he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in July of 1963. After numerous military schools and submarine assignments, he was selected for the Navy’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission and served the remainder of his career as a “nuke.” A true “Mustang” he retired at Pearl Harbor as a Commander 05, after 33 years of service.
Dale began metal detecting as a hobby in his young Navy days. This hobby turned into a passion through the years, and Dale could be seen detecting schoolyards, parks, and soon, the beaches of Hawaii. He began a small business of renting and selling detectors and hunting for lost treasure on Oahu. He shared his years of wisdom of metal detecting to all he came in contact with. He was featured in many publications and was known as an expert in this field. Through the years he returned artifacts to town historical societies on the East Coast and countless pieces of jewelry to their rightful owners in Hawaii. He frequently was searching from a hand-drawn map of the lost location or researching class and military rings he found. In addition, he helped search for buried family treasure, was contracted for beach clean-ups of old ammunition, and provided detectors to search for missing in action military personnel in East Asia.
Besides time spent metal detecting, Dale was always busy working on the house with never-ending projects. Through the years, he had built two of the family’s homes and was a master at remodels. He enjoyed gardening, woodworking and reading.
An avid hunter and fisherman, Dale returned to the Pacific Northwest, moving to Oregon in 2016. Shortly after his return to the mainland he became ill and moved to Washington to be near his daughter. He was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological brain disorder.
Dale was very proud of his three daughters who he is survived by: Shannon Lysne of Twin Falls, Idaho, Dede Utley of Ellensburg, Wash., and Dori Rohlf of Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He is also survived by five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In addition, Dale is survived by Donna Rohlf of Kittitas, Wash. Formerly married, they had stayed close friends through the years and she had been supportive until the end. Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Dale and Elinor.
In keeping with the wishes of Dale, there will not be a formal service. A private family graveside inurnment with full military honors will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions in Dale’s honor are suggested to Cure PSP (psp.org), or may be sent in care of Brookside Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936, which is caring for the family.
The family would like to thank all who helped care for Dale during his illness, especially those at Chandler House, where he lived the last two years. Online condolences may be left at www.brooksidefuneral.com.
“Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man” and this wise man will be missed by many.
