Dale Kovalaske

Dale Orin Kovalaske passed away on January 10, 2024 at the age of 72, following a ten year battle with kidney disease. 

Dale was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin on August 30, 1951, the second child of Earl and Dorothea Kovalaske.  He grew up on his family’s farm near Randolph, Wisconsin and was a 1969 graduate of Randolph High School.  He always enjoyed cars and turned that into a career by completing a certificate with Moraine Park Technical College to become a mechanic.  He worked at Monarch Range in Beaver Dam for 16 years until their closure, then worked as a mechanic for a few years before beginning his career with the Waupun Public Utilities.  He remained with the Utilities until his retirement in 2014.

In addition to cars, Dale enjoyed woodworking, time at the lake, trips to Menard’s and dancing. He met the love of his life, Linda, at a polka dance in Watertown, and they were united in marriage on October 22, 1977.  They built their home in Waupun, where Dale became an active member of the community and Immanuel Lutheran Church.  Dale also enjoyed spending time at their lake cottage in Wautoma, Wisconsin, trolling around the lake on the pontoon and taking on projects around the house.  Being a grandpa was Dale’s greatest joy in his later years.  While he wished his health would have allowed him to be more active in his retirement, he was grateful to the staff at the Waupun Dialysis Clinic for the bonus years they gave him and the family that they became to him.  Family and friends will remember Dale for his relentless work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, stoic nature, dry humor, and resolute determination to keep going no matter what he faced.

Dale is survived by his wife of 46 years, Linda, his daughter Kristen (Ryan) Nelson, his son Darin (Katie) Kovalaske, five grandchildren- Annie & Orin Kovalaske and Natalie, Nicholas, & Niles Nelson, brothers Duane (Marion), Kenneth (Sally), and Keith (Joyce) Kovalaske, sister Erlene (Hal) Klug, sister-in-law Lois (Al) Heiman, brother-in-law Larry (Nancy) Holbach, and eleven nieces and nephews.  

He was preceded in death by his parents Earl and Dorothea Kovalaske, his parents-in-law Melvin and Mildred Holbach, and a brother in infancy, Merlin.

Funeral services for Dale Kovalaske will be held Monday, January 15, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waupun with Pastor Jeff Nicla officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Mound Cemetery in Waupun. Friends and relatives may call on the family on Sunday at Werner-Harmsen Funeral Home in Waupun from 12-2 p.m. and on Monday at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service. 

Memorials can be directed to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waupun.