Dale L. Kitchell

Lt. Col. Dale Leroy Kitchell, USAF (Ret.), died Saturday, June 27, 2020. He was born in Lewistown, Montana to Roy and Ruth Kitchell. He served in the USAF during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During the Cold War, he was assigned to "Looking Glass", the Airborne Command Post, as the Communications Officer.Raised on a family farm, he had his first pony at age 5 and named it Jeff, after a popular comic strip called Mutt and Jeff (his best friend's horse was named Mutt). At the age of 7, he wanted a BB gun for Christmas. Too eager and unable to wait, he snooped around and discovered one was hidden for him under the sofa. He loved the movie The Christmas Story; it became a tradition to watch at every Christmas. As a young teenager, the local baseball team, The Electrics, held a drawing to select that season's batboy. The night of the drawing everyone in town was home listening to the radio when they announced the winner. Dale had entered and won and was allowed to tour with the team. At 17, he and his friends went to a rodeo and decided they would enter the competition. Despite no prior experience, Dale brazenly chose to ride a Brahma Bull. According to Dale, he came out of the shoot and down he went. He said the Tex Ritter song, Bad Brahma Bull, describes what he experienced perfectly. Dale attended the University at Montana State on a football scholarship. He received his Bachelor of Agriculture degree and taught for several years before reenlisting in the USAF. While stationed in England with his family, he was able to pursue his early passion and began to acquire and train racehorses. After retiring from the USAF in 1978, he worked as a defense contractor for Boeing and Chrysler Technologies Airborne Division.In 1992, Dale meet Toni Antonelli and they were married the spring of 1993. Together they operated a defense contract consulting company called TDK Consulting. Ever the sports enthusiast, he and Toni became avid fans of the OU Sooners. During the season they would decorate their pickup in OU regalia and head for the games. Though the Dallas Cowboys had long been his #1 professional team, when then OU quarterback, Baker Mayfield, joined the Cleveland Browns, Dale was compelled to split his loyalties. His love for sports extended beyond football to include the Thunder basketball franchise and OU women's softball.He is survived by his wife Toni of 27 years; daughters, Debbie Walton, WA, Laurie Schmidt, UT, and Cherece Casale, TX; son, Ron Kitchell, MT; 7 grandchildren, Devon Hovis, Cory Walton, Kayla Zaic, Kendra MacGregor, Colton Schmidt, Jessica Fleming, and Mancini Antonelli; 6 great grandchildren, Harper Hovis, Piper Zaic, Rorrie MacGregor, Wesley Hovis, and Kinnen MacGregor; and extended family Teri Fleming, Ray Sidwell and Toney Antonelli. Memorials may be made to The American Heart Association.