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Memorial to Dale Walters

Dale passed away Monday, June 26, 2006, in a van accident returning home from the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. A celebration of Dale’s life is being held July 8th immediately following Art Fair on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin.

To all of us touched by the life and saddened by the loss of Dale Walters:

1952-2006
Larger than life in spirit, stature, and stories

Please join together to celebrate Dale’s life following Art Fair on the Square, Saturday, July 8th in Madison, Wisconsin. We’ll share stories, see pictures, celebrate his wonderful spirit, and honor him in a way he would appreciate – with eating, drinking and story-telling.

Details:
The Essen Haus is at 514 E Wilson St.
We’re expected at 6:30 There will be appetizers provided and a cash bar. You can order dinner from the restaurant menu. We will be sharing a digital slide show, if you have any photos that you would like to include please send them to [email protected] We will also be gathering a book of rememberances to share with Dale’s family. Please bring any photos, stories, thoughts etc you would like to pass on. For more information about the memorial contact Chris Dahlquist at or call 816.516.5981 Dale’s website: www.dalebuilt.com


Memorials posted here on the NAIA site and Member Forum.


Here is the obituary from Dales hometown paper. This bigger than life artist will be missed. Godspeed.
Patricia Hecker


This hurts my heart. Dale was bigger than life and always had a great smile and jovial laugh. He knew a good resturant when he found one and will be sadly missed. His website has an area called “Out the Window” where he chronicled his day to day life traveling to shows and criss-crossing the country. His parting words were ‘we’ll see you later’.
Patricia Hecker


I didn’t know Dale well, but I have always enjoyed running into him at various art shows. It always seemed he saw the world through a childs eyes – life was filled with mystery, wonder and opportunity. He had as much laughter and many smiles as he had stories – sometimes short . . .sometimes tall . . . but they spoke of his truth and “joi de vivre”.

Over the years I’ve shared show-time with him I have watched his work develop – usually being one step ahead of the norm as an artist. In my opinion, his most recent body of work pushed the medium beyond the edges of the art form – work that challenged my mind to understand.

I am honored to have known this man who was always the best he could be. To me, he was a “celebration”.

Dale, you are in my heart
Adrienne Adam


I am saddened to read this information.

It seems as if I’ve always known Dale… I don’t recall the first time I met him. Over the years, we’ve spoken briefly at some shows and at length at others… I was always taken in by his easy smile and sincerity to what is. It appeared he had worked out solutions for making the most of all situations, whether at shows or in between. He knew how to enjoy the moment.

His friendly ways, joyful demeanor, positive outlook and easy approach to life has and will continue to influence me as I journey forth. Thank you Dale…
Barbara Bouman Jay


I can’t remember how long ago and at what show I met Dale. Once I met him it seemed as though I’d known him for years. He seemed always the same: a great gentle bear of a man who seemed always mellow, always with a wonderful self-reflective sense of humor. He would relate tales of his great drives and the shows he’d done. No matter how hard he worked or how little money he’d made, he never complained about the unfairness of it all. Instead he gloried in his life-style which allowed him to photograph and experiment with new techniques every day. Every time I ran into him I would stop whatever I was doing and try my best to return his great bear hug. I always enjoyed talking with him and never knew when I’d next see him again. When I read of his death on this forum I shouted in pain. I’ve tried not to write about him here but I feel that I owe him some tribute. I’m glad for him that he died quickly. I’m sorry that I’ll never again enjoy the companionship of this friend I so barely knew.

Here is Dale’s website: dalebuilt.com
When I visited his website I found that he doesn’t refer to a “show schedule”. Instead he talks of his “travel schedule”. That was a bit of a surprise for me. Shows are how I make a living. For him they seemed to represent a major part of his life. The larger surprise when I visited his website was the sense I had of the great fatigue he seemed to be experiencing-due (I speculate) to the driving, gruelling show schedule, and the increasingly difficult and time-consuming setup and teardown at almost all shows. It occurred to me that this might have led him into the final accident which ended his life. I regret that I’ll never again get a chance to spend quality time with Dale Walters.
Robert Barab

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