Dale William Kaufer
It is with profound sadness we relay the passing of Dale William Kaufer Thursday, October 21, 2021. He was born in Sewickley Hospital, but grew up in West Alexander. He spent most of his adult life in Coraopolis/Moon Township.
He is survived by his loving and devoted daughter, Sandra; her mother, and his loving former wife, Vittorina Giammarco; his companion, Ruth Dorsey; and dear friend, Evelyn Moses. Also, his sisters Karen, Laurie and Bonnie; and numerous nephew and nieces.
He was predeceased by his mother, Ethel; his partner in crime, Alex Moses, who was like a father to him; his second wife, Susan Alker; his brother, George; and his sister, Delberta.
After high school graduation, he proudly served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. Upon his honorable discharge as a sergeant, he came back to Coraopolis. He married, had a daughter, and then chose to pursue his life of service by attending the Allegheny County Police Academy. Upon graduation, he was employed by the Allegheny County Police in 1972 at the Pittsburgh International Airport. He loved his job! He had the honor to work with multiple local police forces. He was a skilled marksman and was a firearms instructor at the range. He rose to his most beloved position with the K-9 unit and EOD Bomb Squad Unit. Wherever Dale was, his faithful bomb sniffing dog, Shiloh, then Morgan, were sure to follow. He retired from the county as a sergeant after 23 years of service.
He was always the first person to take charge of a dangerous situation. When there was a hijacked plane with a bomb threat he went onto that plane and thwarted the attempt. He rushed into areas where planes crashed, recovered bodies, and said it was just part of his job. He had the honor of escorting actors, presidents and kings. He acted like it was just an ordinary day.
He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91, Allegheny County Police Association, Steel Valley Lodge, lifetime National Rifle Association member and range director at Camp Perry, Ohio, Jackson, Mich., and Albuquerque, N.M.
His love of animals was shown at home and in training the K-9 dogs.
He was a hard worker. He also worked part time for USAirways on the ramp. It gave him the opportunity to travel, especially to Phoenix, Hawaii, and any beach. He loved to play cards on his lunch break with the guys.
He loved trains, reading, John Deere, sports and showing off his handyman skills. He was a man ahead of his time; he did not care about race, gender – he treated everyone equally. He was a true patriot in every sense of the word. He was an exceptional officer, a great friend and neighbor.
He was loved by so many who will grieve and celebrate his life. No one will miss him more than his daughter, who will miss her Poppy forever. May God and the angels lead him into paradise.
Visitation from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday, October 31, in Copeland’s Moon Township, 981 Brodhead Road, where a blessing service will be held at 5 p.m., with Father Robert Seeman as celebrant. Additional fraternal services will be held also on Sunday: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 402 at 5:30 p.m. and Police FOP Lodge 91 at 6 p.m. On Monday, November 1, prayers will be offered at 9:15 a.m. in the funeral home, with the procession leaving by 9:45 a.m. to the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies for 10:30 a.m. committal and full military honors. Dale will be honored at all services with bagpipes offered by his fellow police officer and friend, Bill Zeglowitsch.
In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations in his name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.