Dale Bruce Manninen

Dale Bruce Manninen, age 67, of Watson, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday morning, February 19, 2020 while working in Ely, MN. He was born on January 31, 1953 in Escanaba, the son of Waino and Viola (Mattonen) Manninen. Dale was raised in Watson and attended school in Gwinn where he graduated with the class of 1971. Following high school, he worked in the woods with his dad until his father died in 1973. At that time, Dale took over the family saw mill. Dale married the former Patti Dahl on May 30, 1981 at the Watson Bible Chapel. Together, the couple shared nearly 39 years of marriage and raised three sons, Adam, Todd, and Paul. For the past 11 years, Dale also was employed by MJ Van Damme Trucking. He was a volunteer firefighter for Wells Township, and also served on and is past president of the Wells Township School Board. Dale enjoyed everything the outdoors had to offer – especially fishing, canoeing, snowmobiling, and four wheeling.

Dale B. Manninen is survived by his wife, Patti Manninen of Watson; 3 sons, Adam (Molly) Manninen of Petoskey, MI, Todd Manninen of Watson, and Paul (Erycca) Manninen of Mt. Clemens, MI; 3 grandchildren, Duncan, Emilia, and Audrey; his mother, Viola Sloan of Watson; mother-in-law, Betty Dahl of Escanaba; sisters, Anita Bridges of Watson, Carol (Dale) Jensen of Ralph, MI, Katherine Myers of Gwinn, Mary (Jon) Broecker of Watson, Donna Caron of Escanaba, and Linda (Gary) Fundaro of Smith Creek, MI; brothers, David Manninen of Cornell, William (Donna) Manninen of Troy, MI, Robert (Laura) Manninen of Gladstone, and Carl (LeeAnn) Manninen of Cornell; sister-in-law, Mary Jo Carlson of Cornell; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to his father, Waino Manninen, Dale was preceded in death by his step-father, Gideon Sloan; his brothers, Thomas and James Manninen; father-in-law, Alfred Dahl; and his sister-in-law, Karen Sliva.

Visitation will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 23, 2020 at the Wells Township Hall in Arnold, MI. Funeral services celebrating the life of Dale will follow at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, with Mr. Bill Hill officiating. A luncheon will be served at the conclusion of the services in the Wells Township Hall in Arnold. Burial will take place in the Forest Home Cemetery in Watson. 

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