We are grieved to announce the passing on our dear friend, brother, and forever CLDI family member, Dale Fincel. Dale died of natural causes and went to be with the Lord on Sunday, October 10th, 2021. A celebration service will be held Thursday, November 4, 2021, from 4-6 pm at Hope Center Foursquare Church, located at 425 S. Broadway, Billings, MT 59101
Roy Dale Fincel, “Dale” to all his friends, was born 7/5/57 in Woodland California. He died of natural causes in his home on Oct. 10, 2021. He is survived by his children, an older brother, five sisters, and many other family members. Dale will be dearly missed by many friends in Billings, Montana.
A HARD ROAD
In high school and later in the Marines, Dale was very successful in high-diving and won many awards. After being discharged, he settled in California and found his place in life as a “carnie.” He loved it, especially the travel. He learned to work for days without sleeping while tearing down, transporting, and setting up 100-truck carnivals throughout the western United States.
Dale, his wife Pam, and three kids moved to Montana in 1997. He had been here many times with traveling carnivals out of California.
In the late ’90’s, while Dale worked as a meat cutter for Albertson’s, he and Pam and the kids lived in South Billings. His marriage was suffering. Like many, he wanted to be a good dad and husband but had never had modeling or instruction along those lines. He wasn’t just rough around the edges, he was rough through and through. Dale and his family moved back to California, after which Pam died of an overdose while traveling out of state.
TRANSFORMATIONS
Due to family indiscretions, Dale was arrested and sent to Billings for trial. While in jail, as friends from the past visited Dale, he became aware of how very messed up his life was and with tears of joy, surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Friends who knew him before that and afterward say that few transformations reveal greater before and after contrast.
In 2006, after 5 years of growing in his faith in prison, Dale moved in with Doc Hagstrom, who had been writing to Dale for years. Dale saw Doc as the father he’d never had. In his close Christian relationships, Dale’s character began to blossom. Rough and tough Dale began to reveal sensitive and nurturing qualities. Right out of prison he was hired by CLDI’s Koinonia Housing Construction, building homes in the Chrysalis Acres Subdivision.
While meticulously attending to all his parole and SOP treatment protocols, Dale became a consistent and vociferous participant of the Monday Night Bible study at the CLDI offices. He loved his church, Hope Center in South Billings, and became their faithful sound man, a skill he’d learned as a carnie.
After several years working for Koinonia Housing Construction, Dale took the lead maintenance position for Koinonia Management Company. He took great pride in a spotless and flawless apartment upon completion of rehab. At the same time, he was “The Dry Guy,” running the foundation damp-proofing branch for Toepfer Concrete, Inc.
Grappling with health issues that were not conducive to the construction trades, Dale began driving semi for H.O.T. Express in 2017. He became an owner-operator in 2019, once again getting paid to travel all over the United States, which he dearly loved. He took “the boys” with him everywhere, his Yorkie “Bentley” and his Chihuahua “Rolls.”
His Celebration of Life service will be held at Hope Center on November 4, 2021, at 4:00 P.M. In honor of Dale’s love for burritos, we will a Burrito Potluck will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Hope Center (HopeCenterBillings.com, 425 South 28th, Billings MT 59101).
