Orville Dale Cooley

Other Events and Attributes:

• Education: Colorado; University of Denver
• Name: Dale

Notes:

Orville Dale Cooley was born April 5, 1903 in a small house in Plainview, Nebraska. He started school at McLean, Nebraska primarily because his father, Robert Berton, had a job teaching there. It was the year Halley's Comet was visible (1910) and he went outside each evening to see it. He recalls his mother (Carrie Louella Miller) telling him he would see it again "...but I would be an old man when I did. I did see the comet return in 1986 but I didn't feel nearly as old as my mother said I would!" He went to Colorado with his parents March 1, 1910. They had taken a homestead nine miles northwest of Flagler. They had tried to farm but the weather was bad 1910-1911 so both parents were employed as rural teachers in schools north of Flagler. R.B. taught at the Huntley School and Lou taught at the Patten School. In 1911 Dale's father (R.B. or "Bert") started a newspaper in Otis, Colorado, "The Otis Independent". In 1914 with the untimely death of his father's twin brother, Herbert Merton ("Mert") who ran a newspaper in Crofton, Nebraska, Bert sold the Otis Independent and the family moved to Crofton to continue the running Mert's business. Bert eventually could not tolerate the climate in eastern Nebraska, having severe allergies, so in November 1916 the family repurchased the Otis Independent and once again took up residence in that tiny Washington County town. Dale was employed in his father's newspaper but business "was something less than sensational" so, as eldest child in the family, he worked other jobs around the town. He was a cream tester, a soda jerk in more than one drug store, a harvester (pitching wheat to a threshing machine), and a railroad extra on a gang consisting of two Native Americans, 71 Mexican nationals and an Italian boss. Later he got a job in a clothing store where he "something of the cleaning and pressing business, aside from waiting on trade." With the help of a Methodist minister Dale obtained a scholarship to the University of Denver and started school in the fall semester of 1923. While still attending DU he married Mildred Skinner whose father, L.E. Skinner, operated a general merchandise store in Otis. They had gone to school together but Dale says they were not childhood sweethearts. They were married for almost 68 years. Dale and Mildred had two children, Robert Leonard, born 25 Jan 1933 in Otis, Colorado, and Jill Irene, born 17 Jul 1935 in Akron, Colorado. Dale and his cousin Ronald D. Cooley owned and operated The Limon Leader from 15 Feb 1937 through 1 Jun 1972. Dale was very active in state press affairs. He was a member of the board of directors of the Colorado Press Association for several terms and then served as vice president in 1960 and president of the organization in 1961. Also, he was a life member of the Denver Press Club. He was active in Republican politics serving as county chairman for two terms and as a precinct committeeman and delegate to state conventions numerous times. He was one of the founders of the Lincoln County Colorado Historical Society serving as a co-editor of a county history, "Where the Wagons Rolled". Dale was a member of the AF and AM Masonic Lincoln Lodge #146 in Limon, Colo; a 50-year member of Kappa Sigma social fraternity; a member of Sigma Delta Chi professional journalist fraternity. He was a member of the Limon board of education for two terms during which time it was instrumental in acquiring 15 acres of land upon which school buildings and athletic facilities now stand. Dale was active in the organization of the Limon Chamber of Commerce in 1946 and he was a member of the Limon Town Board for two terms.
On August 5, 1989 Dale and Mildred moved to Riverside, California to be near their son and daughter and other family members who had preceded them to the area.
Dale died 12 May 1994 and his body was returned to Limon to be intered at the Pershing Memorial Cemetery with Masonic graveside services.

Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism,

Orville married Alice Mildred Skinner on 11 Jul 1926 in Otis, Washington Co, Colorado. Alice (daughter of Leonard E Skinner and Ethel Campbell Powell) was born on 26 Mar 1905 in Clarence, Shelby Co, Missouri; died on 28 Oct 1996 in Riverside, Riverside Co, California; was buried on 1 Nov 1996 in Pershing Memorial Cemetery, Limon, Lincoln Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Robert married Nancy Adair Nolan on 13 Feb 1954. Nancy was born on 20 Sep 1934 in Greeley, Weld Co, Colorado; died on 16 Nov 1999 in Denver, Denver Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: David Bruce Johnson. David was born on 20 Feb 1937 in Patoka, Gibson Co, Indiana; died on 20 Dec 2015 in Palm Desert, Riverside Co, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Joseph Roger Gump. Joseph was born on 31 May 1929 in Denver, Denver Co, Colorado; died on 22 Aug 1987 in Englewood, Jefferson Co, Colorado; was buried about Aug 1987 in Fairmount Cem, Denver Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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