Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, Montana) · Tue, Dec 9, 2008 · Page 8

Dale Ross Gyles Jr., 51, of 503 16th St. N., an assistant manager for The Kitchen, died of anoxic encephalopathy Friday at Peace Hospice.

A memorial service is 2 p.m. Saturday at Chapel of Chimes Funeral Home with interment at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation Columbarium. Memorial services at the Missoula Valley Church in Missoula will take place after the holidays. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Chapel of Chimes Funeral Home.
Survivors include his parents, Dale Ross Gyles Sr. and Betty Jo Gyles of Missoula; a brother, Bryan Keith and his wife, Robin and their children, Miranda, Justin, and Melinda, and a brother, Joseph Allen Gyles, all of Missoula; several uncles, aunts, and cousins; mother-in-law and step-father-in-law, Andrea and Oliver Backlund of Fairbanks, Alaska; stepdaughter, Bren Tillman of Florida; and his fiancé, Sharon Lowry of Missoula.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Courtney, and adored grandmother, Marie Gyles.
Dale was born July 12, 1957, at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula. He was raised in the Butler Creek area. He completed grade school in the one-room DeSmet School and was a member of the 4H club for six years. He graduated from Hellgate High School in 1975, with a full four-year SAT College Scholarship. During his years at the University of Montana, Dale majored in geology and history. He was active in the R.O.T.C. Program.

He married Cynthia Dee Hunsaker on Dec. 28, 1975, in Salt Lake City. They divorced on March 12, 1977. He married Courtney Anne Brown on Nov. 13, 1996, in Great Falls and she died on November 10, 1998. Dale and Courtney had only a short time together, but the time they did have was remarkable and is now eternally restored. He will be interred beside her at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation Columbarium.
Dale worked at several occupations in Missoula until he moved to Great Falls. He was an extremely experienced referee for role-playing games. With his legendary imagination and mischievousness, he mastered refereeing and character improvisation. He competed successfully at chess and war games.
One of Dale’s favorite times of the year was hunting season. During this time, he and his favorite partners would fill all their tags with elk and deer. Many stories and tales of these excursions are worth telling repeatedly around the campfire or board table. He was an expert marksman both with archery and guns. Collecting miniatures and painting them with authentic detail, reading, telling jokes to his customers, and helping others were some of his favorite pastimes. Dale has always been the champion for the “underdog.” We will miss his endless jokes, sense of humor, mischievousness, patience, protection, and love.

Memorials are suggested to Dale Gyles Jr. Memorial Fund, c/o Allen Lanning, Attorney, P.O. Box 2049, Great Falls, MT 59403.

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