Dale Ernest Pettifor, 84, passed away Tuesday evening (March 20th, 2018) among family at the St Joseph Regional Medical Center.

Dale was born April 10th, 1933, in Elmyra, Michigan to Arthur and Ruth (Scholl) Pettifor. He was the eldest of five brothers, and by age seven he was running the family farm by day while his father went to work at the local factory. The family moved around Michigan, and then to California in the late '40s, but Dale returned to the Midwest to attend Bethel College in 1952.

While at Bethel College Dale studied education and theology, and went on to earn a master's degree in education at Indiana University. For the next thirty two years he would teach and administer within the Penn-Harris-Madison school corporation. He helped to plan the building of PHM's two middle schools in the late 1960s, Schmucker and Grissom, and served as the first principal of each before returning to regular teaching prior to retirement. Post-retirement, Dale and some other retired teachers would paint for new home construction and remodels for nearly twenty years. Only within the last four years of his life did he slow down some, but more often than not he could still be found working in the yard or continuing to paint at his long time place of worship, River Valley Church.

Dale married Phyllis Furlong on July 2nd, 1955. Together they had two daughters, Beverly (1958) and Bonnell (1965). He is survived by all three, and was a devoted husband and father. He is also survived by his four brothers, Robert (Bernice) Pettifor, Dean (Sharon) Pettifor, Ivan (Carroll) Pettifor, and Ken (Renna) Pettifor; his four grandchildren, Brad (Laura) Hochstedler, Cherry (Shawn) Miller, Beau (Elise) Holland, and Hogie Holland; and his four great grandchildren.

Dale is preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Ruth.

Visitation will be held Monday, March 26th, from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. The funeral will take place Tuesday, March 27th, at 10:30 am. Both will be held at River Valley Church, 55855 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN  46545. In lieu of flowers please send any donations to the church.  To leave an online condolence or sign the guest book, please visit www.chapelhillmemorial.com.