Dale Ipson

Dale Ipson, age 86, of Hannibal, MO passed away on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at her home.

Visitation will be held Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 10:00 AM at the Smith Funeral Home & Chapel.  An informal service will follow at 10:30 AM.  Private family burial will be in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Dale was born on July 14, 1936, in Cincinnati, OH, the daughter of William Allan and Mary (Gear) Moore. She had one brother, Leown (Carolyn) Moore. At birth, she was given the name Maridale, but never liked it. She later had it legally changed to Dale. As she frequently said, “I paid good money to get rid of that name.”

She was united in marriage to Raymond McMillan in 1955. They had three children and later divorced. She was then united in marriage to Gordon Yin-chung (nee Ip) Ipson on November 22, 1980, in Denver, CO. It was the second marriage for both of them. Dale and Gordon observed their 42nd Anniversary on November 22, 2022. (“We got it right the second time.”)

Survivors include her husband Gordon of the home; daughter, Isel "Patricia" McMillan of Aberdeen, WA; six grandchildren and four step-grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren. The separation is only for future genealogy researchers, Dale always treated them equally.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two sons, Charles Allan McMillan and Michael Patrick McMillan.

Dale graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO in 1960 with a BA in Elementary Education and in 1965 with a MA in Guidance and Counseling. Her GRE score qualified her as a member of MENSA and Intertel. Professionally, she worked as a Teacher and Guidance Counselor for School District 50, Westminster, CO for 26 years and taught Psychology at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, MO for 3 years.

Dale was an avid fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Denver Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes football. She and Gordon had CU season tickets for 43 consecutive years even though they moved away from Colorado in 1986.

Dale enjoyed traveling across the globe; some of her favorite trips were to Europe, Australia, Ireland and the British Isles.  Dale enjoyed riding her motorcycle, rock climbing and skiing. On her 80th birthday, she went skydiving for the first time.  (She said, “If George H.W. Bush can do it, so can I.”) She was a member of both the Westminster and Colorado Teachers’ Associations.  She was a past state officer in the Colorado Young Republicans.  Some of Dale's passions were genealogy, travel and shopping, especially for antiques.

She had a quirky sense of humor as evidenced by the funny t-shirts she wore, the bumper sticker on her car and the signs on the walls of her house. Dale was a Methodist by faith.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army in care of Smith Funeral Home & Chapel.

Online condolences may be made to the family on Dale's memorial page at www.smithfuneralhomeandchapel.com