Melvin 'Dale' Arthur, 91

Melvin “Dale” Arthur died peacefully in his sleep Aug. 25, 2024. He was born June 23, 1933, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Ernest and Ella Arthur adopted him as an infant. They were told he was a sickly baby and may not live, but good cow's milk and a lot of love made him a healthy, thriving boy. He grew up on the family farm where his father raised workhorses. His mom was a schoolteacher, and until his ninth grade, he had studied in a one-room schoolhouse close to where he lived. He graduated from Pine River High School in Pine River, Minn. He met Shirley Spielman through her brother, Julius. Their first date was St. Patrick’s Day when Dale was 17, and Shirley was 14. They married July 23, 1952, on Shirley’s 16th birthday, and it was love ever after for them.   

From 1954 to 1960, they had five children: Dewey, Peggy, Andy, Jason and Kelly. Dale farmed, then moved the family to Colorado for a year, and came back to Minnesota to farm until he built a homemade sawmill. They sold Lath until 1966, when he moved the family to the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area. The family settled a year later in Rathdrum, Idaho, for 14 years. Dale and Shirley had many jobs, but their main one was as real estate agents. They also developed Arthur’s Garden, a subdivision that still exists in Rathdrum. After all the kids had graduated high school, they set out for Gillette, Wyo. Dale worked in the oil fields for a while and then involved the whole family in building mini-storages in 1982. A few years later, they hired a manager and took off in a travel trailer and moved all around the states for four years. They did odd jobs to keep money in their pockets and finally settled in Seattle in 1989, where Dale got a job as a construction worker. He had an accident in which both his legs were broken and after 13 surgeries to put those legs back together, he was finally able to leave the Seattle area. They found a piece of land outside Post Falls, Idaho, and with the help of family and friends, they built a home, planted 2,500 Christmas trees (while Dale was still hobbling around on crutches!), and tried their hand at Emu farming. The market wasn’t good for the Emus, so they sold what they could and made meat out of the leftover flock. Dale said it is called “eating your losses.” He was always ready with a joke and a laugh. 

Dale hired a good lawyer who was able to settle his workman’s compensation lawsuit and, after a good amount of time, received a pension that allowed him to retire and still have adventures with Shirley, who was always crafting or quilting or needing him to “build/work on/or help” with her projects. Dale loved being useful and was always hard-working. The one thing that defined both Dale and Shirley was their faith and love of God. They both found Jesus later in life and it was a driving force in many things they did. They were involved in church as much as possible, greeting, doing Bible studies, helping with projects and always being ready to have families over for a meal. 

After his accident, Dale realized he wanted to try and find his birth family. He started out with very little information, but within a short time, he had contact with a sister. He was surprised to learn he had nine half-siblings! They were delighted to find him and welcomed him with open arms. It was a great source of comfort to Dale and a miracle he was always grateful for.   

Dale would tell Pastor Dave, who visited him often at Hayden Place, that he loved his family first and then second; he always wanted to be a light for the Lord. Dale was generous, kind, good-natured, loving and almost always in a good mood. He LOVED telling jokes and listening to others laugh. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and the staff at Hayden Place, where he resided for almost seven years. 

Dale is preceded in death by wife Shirley; and some other family members. He is survived by: Dewey Arthur (North Dakota); Peggy Eggart (Spokane Valley, Wash.); Andy and Marcia Arthur (Spokane Valley, Wash.); Jason and Lilly Arthur (Gresham, Ore.) and Kelly Arthur (Vancouver, Wash.). Dale had 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.  

The family is having a celebration service for Dale at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Valley Real Life (1831 S. Barker Road No. 9762 Spokane Valley, WA 99016). Anyone who knew Dale is invited to come. 

Please visit Dale’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.