Dale Gordon Maurer Sr.

Dale Maurer, Sr., 89, passed away October 14, 2023 in Gillette, Wyoming.  He was the sixth of seven children, born May 9, 1934, to Mabel (Hatch) and Henry Maurer in Sumner, Iowa.  He finished the 8^th grade in Sumner.  He then worked on the family farm and found odd jobs to help the family.  At 16 he left home, eventually ending up in Black River Falls, Wisconsin where he worked for his brother, Donald, as a farmhand.   On April 8, 1954, Dale was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in Korea.  After basic training in Camp Gordon, Georgia, he returned to Hixton, Wisconsin to marry the love of his life, DeVon Dunn, on June 20, 1954.  They moved to Georgia and from there he was deployed to Korea where he was a Telephone Installer/Repairman.  On March 8, 1956, Dale was discharged from the Army and he and DeVon returned to Black River Falls to begin their life and start their family.  They had six children (Dale, Jr. (Bud), Daniel, Ann (stillborn), Russell, Robert and Marc).  Dale and DeVon moved numerous times in their 54 years of marriage between Wisconsin, Iowa and Wyoming.  Dale often said he must have some gypsy blood in him because he always needed to be on the move.  The majority of his career was spent as an over-the-road truck driver which took him all over the country, but his heart never left the farm.  He loved working with tractors, tending a huge garden, raising and riding horses, hunting, fishing and living in the country.  He longed for the simple, country life.  Since DeVon passed in 2008, he has looked forward to the day when they would be together again.   They shared the love of a lifetime.  Dale is survived by two siblings, Ruth Frisch of Waterloo, Iowa and Gene Maurer of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, as well as a sister-in-law Clarice Maurer of Florida.  He will be greatly missed by his immediate family, his many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly as well as his many close friends.  Dale’s memory will be forever in our hearts.  A memorial service will be held at the American Legion in Gillette on Saturday, October 21, at 12:00 PM.  We will gather around the table to enjoy a meal and raise our coffee cups in celebration of Dale’s life.  Inurnment will be at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.  Memorials and condolences may be sent in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel 210 West 5^th Street, Gillette, WY 82716.