Dale Paul Bogner of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, age 83, passed away peacefully in his sleep while in hospice care in the early morning on April 14, 2023. His wife Ellen Bogner and sons and their wives, Mark and Heather (wife) Bogner, Todd and Bobbi (wife) Bogner were with him every day in his final weeks and we all had the opportunity to say goodbye but also to share love, stories and laughs with Dale before his passing. The family is grateful for the excellent care Dale received with Rainbow Hospice and that his passing was so peaceful.
Dale was born on October 7, 1939 in Dickinson, ND to Frank and Kathryn (Dassinger) Bogner and was one of eleven children. Frank and Kathryn had eight boys and three girls, and Dale was 9th in birth order. Dale and his siblings were raised in a devout Catholic family on their farm in Gladstone, ND. All of his siblings long enjoyed getting together whenever possible and sharing and telling their kids and nephews and nieces many “horror stories” of their many misadventures on the farm growing up. One favorite and often repeated story at every large Bogner family gathering involved differing versions of the winners, losers and injured players in their frequent “BB gun wars.”
After Dale graduated from Gladstone High School in 1956 he joined the US Navy and served Honorably in the Navy on the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga until 1960. Dale often shared stories of his time in the Navy and was very proud of his military service and had quite the experience traveling around the world while on active duty. His primary “job” in the Navy was as an aircraft mechanic and his time in the Navy ignited in him a lifelong passion for travel, aircraft and flying and for military history. Later in life Dale pursued a private pilot’s license and continued this long enough to successfully make his “solo” flight before life and work obligations curtailed his passion to become a pilot. In later years he loved flying on occasion with his son Mark who is a licensed private pilot and shares Dale’s love of all things aircraft. Todd got Dale’s “love of cars,” “sense of humor” and “expert salesman” genes. Mark got Dale’s love of reading, writing, teaching and flying genes. Both sons got Dale’s love of adventure, history, travel, tools and of fixing and building things.
After his Honorable Discharge from the US Navy, Dale returned to Dickinson, ND, near the Bogner family farm in Gladstone, ND. There he found employment in a local factory that produces charcoal. He did NOT like working there, but forever considered it an important and formative experience that prompted him to seek a college education. He eventually matriculated at Dickinson State College and graduated from there in 1965 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and English.
After college Dale started a career teaching English in high school. He first taught at Gladstone High in his hometown. During this life stage he met and married his first wife, Linda McCarthy (maiden name) in 1965. A few years after the birth of their first son (Mark) in 1965, Dale and Linda moved to Wisconsin where Dale continued working as a high school teacher. Their second son (Todd) was born in 1967 soon after their move to Richland Center, WI. To supplement his income as a teacher, Dale later became a licensed insurance agent, where he ultimately discovered his greatest professional talent as an outstanding salesman of all things needing selling. Dale left teaching and pursued sales in one form or another the rest of his adult life, mostly as an independent insurance agent with many companies over the course of his career. For several years he also worked for and with his brother Francis Bogner in Fran’s company selling farm implements in Wisconsin and Illinois. Dale dearly loved all of his siblings and was close to each of them, but he and his brother Fran, both having lived in Wisconsin most of their adult lives, were particularly close.
After his first marriage of 20 years ended, Dale met and eventually married the second love of his life, Ellen. Ellen’s maiden name was Pattow and she is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dale and Ellen Bogner were first and foremost best friends. They were fortunate to enjoy 33 wonderful years together sharing their love of history, animals, reading, writing, travel, gardening and spending time with family. Coincidently, Dale and Ellen shared strong family ties in North Dakota, though both became passionate Wisconsinites and of course Green Bay Packer fans as adults. Dale grew very close to Ellen’s children Heather and Andy during their many years together.
Dale had a lifelong passion for wheeling and dealing of any kind. He loved antiquing, garage and estate sales and all kinds of auctions and enjoyed collecting guns and antiques and war memorabilia this way. He was always working on some kind of car related deal. Anyone that knew Dale will remember his frequent saying regarding car deals that “there is a seat for every ass.” He rarely held on to any one car for more than two years and loved tinkering with them and doing mechanical work and repairs on his cars. Dale was often quoted by close friends and family as being “able to sell snow in Alaska,” a skill shared by many Bogner’s of every generation. Dale was also a very talented writer, another passion shared by many Bogners and by his wife Ellen.
Dale adored his many nieces and nephews in particular and recently his surviving family members have all been sharing countless “funny Dale stories” via text and email. Dale was known for his pranks and his quirky sense of humor and his “classic Bogner chuckle” which was widely shared by his siblings and unsurprisingly has been passed on to many of their children.
Dale was also very proud of the accomplishments of his many siblings and his nieces and nephews and worked hard to stay in touch and current with everyone he could in such a large extended family. Having all come from humble beginnings on a family farm in a tiny town, Dale and his longer lived siblings (a few died very young) have all led successful lives and through their and their spouses efforts they put their children’s generation in a position to pursue an even wider range of amazing careers all across the USA. This evolution has continued and expanded with the next generation of “Bogner” descendents.
Dale was particularly proud of his two sons, Mark (the “healer” son) and Todd (the “carpenter” son), as he liked to refer to his boys. Mark Bogner MD is a physician specializing in Emergency Medicine and a long time Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor and teacher of emergency medicine with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Todd Bogner built a successful business as a home builder and general contractor while (like his Dad) also dabbling in multiple side ventures having inherited Dale’s passion for “wheeling and dealing.” Todd is now a very successful businessman running projects and operations for a commercial real estate developer and represents the surviving Bogner skill of being able to “sell snow to Alaskans.”
Dale is survived by his best friend and loving wife of 33 years, Ellen Bogner. Also surviving are: Dale’s first wife Linda Kamla (married for 20 years), and the mother of his two sons, Mark & his wife Heather Bogner and Todd & his wife Bobbi Bogner, and step daughter Heather Barnes (partner Andy Peeler), and step son Andy Barnes. Living grandchildren in birth order include Alexandra Bogner, Abby Bogner, Johnny Bogner and Ian Bogner and great granddaughter Sawyer. All live in Wisconsin except Heather Barnes (Oklahoma). Dale’s only surviving sibling is his sister, Kathy & Jerry (husband) Sullivan (Arizona). Dale is also survived by over 50 nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews living all across the USA. Dale will be met in heaven by his parents, Frank & Kathryn (Dassinger) Bogner and siblings Victor, Walter, Bill, Rosemary Fordahl, Marcine Shelton, Robert, Eugene, Francis and Gerald.
In accordance with his wishes, Dale will be cremated and there will be no wake or funeral service. A “Celebration of Dale’s Life” will be planned in the future, Dale’s ashes will be interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Atkinson in a beautiful columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made towards funding permanent Memorials in Dale’s name. A paving stone commemorating Dale will be placed at McCoy Veteran’s Memorial Park in Fort Atkinson, WI. The family also plans to have a memorial sculpture or bench placed in Dale’s memory in McCoy Park. Any funds left after these projects in the “GoFundMe” account will go to Dale’s favorite charity, The Wounded Warrior Project. To contribute to Dale’s Memorials – copy and paste the “GoFundMe” link below into any web browser:https://gofund.me/1cecfd08.
Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family.
Dale Paul Bogner
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