| Graduation Year | Class of 1975 |
| Date of Passing | Sep 12, 2015 |
| About | There was so much more to the person that Dale was than can be expressed in words. This is at best a series of small snapshots of his passion, uniqueness, and struggle through life that shaped who he was as a person from the perspective of his younger brother Dean. Dale was a true hippie in nearly every sense of the word. He was undoubtedly one of the most interesting, eccentric and unusual characters you would probably ever meet. He could be captivating, if not tolerant, as he discussed a wide range of topics. He would be kind and generous with his meager resources to complete strangers, yet was often absent for long periods of time when his family needed him most. He wanted to be unfettered in life and have complete control, things that just simply could not be had while supporting and compromising for a family or any other structured sort of life. In continual pursuit for purpose and meaning, Dale’s was a paradoxical life. The despair and loneliness he often experienced was partially due to his reliance on self and the stubborn belief in the vast power of his own intellect. He had a complicated and troubled mind. It is believed that he had a genius IQ, estimated to be well over 160. The brilliance that he displayed never seemed to find the right channel through which to shine. Unfortunately, brilliance for some can be a gift and for others a curse. For Dale it was both. Even though he was a “free spirit” he was never really actually as free as he now is in death. He struggled with his unfocused brilliance, mental illness & depression, and severe addiction through all of his adult life. In many ways, Dale’s inability to reconcile his own brilliant mind with the reality of his surroundings led to his unusual life style “choices”. Becoming homeless was really not a deliberate choice. It was a result of the vast void was created by many restless years of searching but never finding his purpose. It was also into this void that alcoholism flowed. Alcohol, coupled with his state of mind, had taken total control over his life, relegating him to the streets. Dale was skilled working with his hands and he would work periodically as a handy man and carpenter. It was difficult for him to stay in a job for any extended period of time. His carefree lifestyle resulted in him being gone for long periods. He would randomly appear for a while, and then disappear just as quickly. For the majority of the last fifteen years his whereabouts were usually a mystery. He would drift back and forth from South Dakota and Colorado. Invariably, he would have an encounter with the law and spend months behind bars somewhere. Even though incarceration is the ultimate loss of control, ironically, Dale seemed to adjust better to being in jail than “free” in the outside world. While “inside” he would have access to books, three square meals a day, and a ministry. He spoke with such authority and conviction there were always people willing to listen to Dale. Recently, after his death, someone he had met briefly while in jail called his daughter, Amber, looking to meet with him. When she informed this stranger of the loss of life, he was so profoundly hurt by the news, you may have thought they had known each other for years. Such was the conviction with which he spoke and touched the lives of others. He refused to live a “normal” life and was extremely critical of those who do. He was an idealist, but I know he saw the contradiction that was his life and it disturbed him deeply. While his outlook on life had always been very jaded and you probably wouldn’t not associate the word “positive” with his personality, there was no question about his passion. Dale was always interested in herbal remedies and nutrition. Of course, processed and homogenized food was poison and only fresh organic products should be consumed. Many years ago he showed up at our family home in Hot Springs. He was on a crusade against artificial sweeteners, preservatives, additives, etc. He had only been in the house for a few minutes and he opened the refrigerator and started taking things out. First he grabbed the green bottle of lemon juice. It had to go. It had sodium nitrate, a “poison” as a preservative. Next was the orange drink . . . “High fructose corn syrup – simple sugars are bad for you!” On and on we went. Of course, he was correct, and all of these things are potentially bad for you. But throwing things away out of someone’s cupboard or refrigerator was probably not the best way to gain converts. Such was Dale’s passion and idealism. He was the poster child of the self-appointed spokesman espousing anti-establishment and apocalyptic views toward society. This was rather typical of his generation. However, for most of his generation this rebellion was just a phase and the majority moved on to a job or career and focused on raising families. However, his views on this world became increasingly dire. I think his world view can be expressed in the lyrics from 10 Years After’s song “I’d Love to Change the World” from the ‘A Space in Time’ album. As the seventies waned into the eighties there would be no adjustment for Dale. His was an un-waning intensity and contempt of traditional society. Dale can most certainly be remembered as a risk taker and he loved to rock climb. After a near death experience climbing with his brother Dean, he just laughed it off and said “well that was a close call, let’s try it again with a new anchor spot.” He later climbed Devil’s tower in Wyoming without proper gear, and ascended the 900 ft. tall mountain with near vertical faces. He was very wiry and had great strength for his small size. The subjects of his interests varied from texts on ancient Chinese herbal remedies to stories regarding the enigmas and mystery behind the Great Pyramids of Giza or parapsychology and reincarnation. Eastern religions and their various forms of mysticism had always been a source of solace for Dale and captivated his attention more than anything else. He finally “more-or-less” settled on a variation of Hinduism based on the Bhagavad Gita. He would frequently quote from the Gita and he most closely identified with the Bahá'í form of Hinduism typified by the Hare Krishnas. He would often stay at the Bahá'í temple in Denver. Invariably, they would ask him to leave because of his alcohol dependency and lack of conformity to the behavior expected of a devotee. He desperately wanted to be a devotee but just as with being a part of a structured family, couldn’t quite make the necessary commitment that it required. One of the few places that he felt he belonged, he didn’t. One of the more esoteric areas Dale explored in his early years was The Teachings of Don Jaun, by Carlos Castaneda. The teachings are a series of books (supposedly factual) that describe training in shamanism, by a group called the Toltecs. They were a guild of sorcerers that began in Southern Mexico 10,000 years ago, who based their existence on harnessing the changes of perception and perspective brought about by working with hallucinogenic plants (mushrooms, peyote, jimson weed, etc.). As a consequence of this type of exploration, he began to experiment with a wide variety of mind altering drugs and life styles. It is believed that this area of exploration may have been partially responsible for many of the changes in Dale’s mental state which started late in high school. His experimentation continued during his freshman year at Chadron State College where he was forced to abandon his studies after the first semester. The sudden departure was a direct result of experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs. He would never return to formal academic studies at a college or university again. For him, life was a continual experiment and unfortunately his mind had become the laboratory. In the end, it wasn’t some exotic drug that caused his decade’s long downward spiral. Instead, it was alcohol. In the Bhagavad Gita, a continual battlefield setting is used as an allegory to interpret the ethical and moral struggles of the human life. Eknath Easwaran, the critically acclaimed translator of the Bhagavad Gita, writes that the Gita?'?s subject is "the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious". Such was the world that Dale lived within. His focus was so “tuned” into the multitude of ills our current society has cultivated, that he never seemed to find an upside to hardly anything. This aspect of his extremely critical personality could be both mentally and emotionally draining to those around him. It’s hard to imagine how he lived with this burden and life view for as long as he did. His was truly a life of constant internal war and struggle. Having waged this war for nearly fifty-nine years, he is finally at peace and in a much better place. A better place than he could ever imagine, and he had a great imagination! The final chapters of his life were difficult for all to witness. He had been living the life of a homeless person for the last 15+ years. His was always a very tenuous relationship with all of his family and friends made progressively worse by alcoholism. He was now in mental and physical pain and had grown weary. While he didn’t seem to love life, he certainly wanted to experience it to the fullest. His constant search for something greater in life brought him many troubles, but it also brought many great experiences and adventures. He concluded many letters he wrote with the Lakota Sioux phrase Hoka-Hey. Hoka-Hey can be translated roughly to mean “Today is a good day to die.” Looking back at his life which was undoubtedly rich in experience, I have to believe that he passed at ease with this phrase in mind. Dale has begun a new adventure and is already exploring his new world. “We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.” 2 Cor.5:2 He will always be cherished as brother, a son, a father, and a friend to many. He is preceded in death by his father, Norman Wynia and ex-wife Deeanna Wynia. Those left to mourn his loss include his mother, Derelle Segar, four siblings: Neil Wynia, Dean Wynia, Gaye Mattke, and Todd Wynia, his daughters: Amber Wynia, & Renee Wynia, four grandchildren: Simon, Bryson, Jacob & Aerith, a host of nieces, nephews, & other relatives, and many friends or other people that he may have had an impression on at some point in time. "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas Carry on my wayward son There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more Once I rose above the noise and confusion Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man Though my mind could think I still was a mad man I hear the voices when I'm dreaming, I can hear them say Carry on my wayward son, There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more Masquerading as a man with a reason My charade is the event of the season And if I claim to be a wise man, Well, it surely means that I don't know. On a stormy sea of moving emotion Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean I set a course for winds of fortune, But I hear the voices say Carry on my wayward son There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more no! Carry on, You will always remember Carry on, Nothing equals the splendor Now your life's no longer empty Surely heaven waits for you Carry on my wayward son There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry, Don't you cry no more, No more! |
