Gordon Dalen Obituary

Gordon Clare Dalen, the father of Durango resident Kim Dalen, died of intestinal complications on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, in Farmington. He was 77.

Mr. Dalen was born to Gilman and Clara Dalen on July 19, 1933, in Parshall, N.D.

He served in the Air Force in North Africa during the Korean conflict.

In December 1952, he married Shirley Ann Hould in Nashville, Tenn. The couple had four children. The marriage later ended in divorce.

In 1961, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Montana State University in Bozeman.

After graduation, he went to work as a civil engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Farmington during the construction of Navajo Dam and the Hammond Irrigation Project, whose canals bring irrigation to the site of the current Navajo Agricultural Products Industries.

Accepting early retirement when the bureau office closed in 1985, Mr. Dalen continued working as a consultant with Brewer Associates.

In the mid-1970s, he married Lois Eastin in Farmington.

In Farmington, he was active in the local Amateur Athletic Union swim club, the Tarpons. He was an avid skier and never missed a season until his death.

Since retiring, Mr. Dalen had remained active in community affairs, serving on the boards of the Four Corners Opera Association, the San Juan Symphony League, the Farmington Elks Club, the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority and Presbyterian Medical Services.

"A devoted husband and father, a caring and active member of the Farmington community, Gordon will be wholeheartedly missed by friends and family," his family wrote.

Mr. Dalen is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lois Dalen, of Farmington; children, Kim Dalen of Durango, Scott Dalen of Farmington and Kerry Dalen and Mark Dalen, both of Albuquerque; sisters, Phyllis Dalen of Missouri and Cheryl Greenfield of Washington; former wife, Shirley Ann Ealey; four stepchildren; 16 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Cremation will occur. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Monday, June 27, 2011, at the Farmington Elks Lodge, 801 Municipal Drive.

Online condolences may be sent at www.danielsfu neral.com.