Dale Ozment

Dale Melcher Ozment, 79, of Hillsboro passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 25, 2014, surrounded by loved ones. A memorial service to remember Dale's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 6, 2014, at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors Chapel in Hillsboro with Rev. Leah Hidde-Gregory of First United Methodist Church in Hillsboro, where he was a member, officiating. Visitation with the family will follow the memorial service. Dale was an adoring husband, loving father and grandfather, and friend to many. Throughout his illness he never lost his witty sense of humor.

Born January 7, 1935 in Ardmore, Oklahoma, he was the only child of Frank Dale and Vena Marie Ozment. He was raised in Madill and Kingston, Oklahoma and spent most of his early years on a small farm near Lake Texoma. Dale was active in boy scouts, 4-H club and anything related to music. He played the piano, clarinet, sax, ukulele and banjo. Dale attended Oklahoma State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology. While there he pledged the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and made treasured, lifelong friends. It was at OSU that he met the love of his life and future wife, Jo Ann Hankins. They were married in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and were married for 59 years.

Among his accomplishments Dale set up the Toastmaster organization at OSU, served as an officer in the infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia, and worked offshore on drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The latter led him to an engineering position in the Dallas offices of Southeastern Drilling, where he worked for future Governor Bill Clements. Dale spent most of his professional life in sales, working for U.S. Gypsum and Polaroid before landing in the recreational vehicle sales and management field where he remained for over 30 years.

He was quite accomplished in his ability to 'build, create and repair' just about anything that did not have a motor in it. He enjoyed woodworking and left many handmade mementos for his family to treasure. He loved his dogs and would talk to them while they pretended to listen to everything he had to say. Slick, his last canine companion, was always at his side.

Dale will be missed by many. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Jo Ann Ozment; his daughter, D'Ann Petersen and husband, Tim Petersen, of Dallas; son, Cord Ozment and wife, Alison Ozment, of San Ramon, California; and twin grandsons, Dillon and Ross Petersen, affectionately nicknamed 'peanut and goober' by their grandfather. Dale loved to brag about his children and grandchildren, even to total strangers, and often commented that his children were a "success in spite of him."

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Dale's name can be made to Hill County Paw Pals, P. O. Box 1533, Hillsboro, TX 76645 (http://hcpawpals.org/) or First United Methodist Church Youth Group, P. O. Box 673, Hillsboro, TX 76645.

Memorial Service

2:00 PM ,Saturday, December 6, 2014
Marshall & Marshall Funeral Directors Hillsboro
2495 Corsicana Highway Hillsboro, Texas 76645