September 12, 1931 ~ September 15, 2004
Dale Lee Patten passed away peacefully with his daughters at his side on September 15, 2004. He was born in San Diego on September 12, 1931. He moved to Redondo Beach at the age of five and was a 68 year resident. He attended Redondo Union High School where he met and married his beloved wife, Bobbie, to whom he was married for 53 years. They had five children and raised them in the same home in which Dale was raised. Dale was a Master Machinist. He worked in design and manufacturing for over 45 years and retired in 1997. He truly appreciated fine craftsmanship in all its forms, and was always willing to share his knowledge. He had every tool known to man and used them to make everything from custom car parts to custom pool cues. Dale knew a tremendous amount about cars and many friends and family relied on him for his expertise. His latest passion was buying vintage trucks and restoring them to their original beauty. Dale enjoyed watching football and making semi-annual trips to Las Vegas where he was known to make a wager or two. One of the things that he treasured most was his annual trip to Hollywood Park race track on Father's Day with his four daughters. He was a gentle man and his tender side especially showed when he was with his grandchildren.
He is survived by his daughters, Pam Eubanks, Mary Wheeler, Joy Wells, and Jennifer Patten who he dearly loved. He was preceded in death by his son, Wade. He is also survived by his six grandchildren Jamie, Erin, David, and Lauren Eubanks; and Brenden and Brian Wells, all of which he was very proud. He also leaves behind many relatives and friends. Sadly, Dale was preceded in death two weeks ago by his cherished wife, Bobbie. Dale could design anything, build anything, and fix anything. The only thing that he couldn't fix was his broken heart. We love you Dad and you will always be in our hearts... Visitation will be from 5 pm to 7 pm Thursday evening, September 16th at the White & Day Colonial Mortuary in Redondo Beach. Funeral Services will be 11 am Friday at the Mortuary with private interment at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes.
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My heartfelt sorrow goes out to the family to lose two family members in a short time is very sad, but the memories of life will be ours forever.I can honestly say what a joy it was to know Dale and I know why I was invited to the Christmas Eve ham feast each year so Dale had someone to tell his stories to. To this day I have no idea of half the things he was telling me but the girls were happy that Grandfather had someones willing ear to bend.He was a good guy and will be missed.
Dear Pam, Mary, Joy and Jenny, Your Dad and I started a friendship that covers a period of over 50 years. I guess it really took root when your Dad fabricated a hand lever mechanism that attached to the steering column of my car that had a rod secured to the brake pedal. When I was recovering from polio and my legs were too weak for braking, it allowed me to use my arm instead. It was very effective and I was grateful for his help. Your Dad was always willing to help no matter what. I know you could tell me many stories about the help he gave to you. If there was anything that could have ended our friendship, it was our decision, about 48 years ago, to go to Catalina Island in a 14-foot dingy powered by an outboard engine that seemed powerful enough. We were going to fish in all those good fishing spots. Well, we launched the dingy, started the motor, and off we went in the morning mist. All went well until your Dad took out a small magnetic compass. Your Dad said, “No problem, we just go due south out of San Pedro”. God must have been with us for the channel was very smooth. Because the water was calm, your Dad decided to open up the throttle. The vibrations from the engine were horrendous!!!About midway across the channel, I noticed the screws coming loose on every visible gusset on the ribs and spars that held the dingy together. Would you believe, all we had was the screwdriver blade in a Boy Scout knife? I spent the rest of the trip keeping the screws in place. Your Dad was undeterred. He just kept it going full bore. About that time, I noticed that you could not see land in either direction; no other boats either. What a feeling!!! Like I said, God must have been with us because the water pump on the outboard motor gave out when we were approaching the island. You know the rest of the story because we both survived and our friendship survived as well. Your Dad always got a big laugh when I had the opportunity to retell our adventure and I am sure he and your Mom are both laughing now in the retelling of it again. The next thing in our friendship that comes to mind are the frequent trips our families made to Yosemite Valley. Your Mom and Dad convinced us we could afford to camp out. I\’ll never forget Camp 14 along the bank of the Merced River where your Dad and I set up camp and pitched tents. Since we traveled to Yosemite frequently, your Dad and I decided to build cabinets that would make cooking and other kitchen activities more convenient. Together, we designed, purchased material, fabricated and varnished the cabinets. It took several weekends and it was a lot of fun working with your Dad. I still have and use that cabinet today. I didn\’t know it at the time, but this would lead to something else. Because your Dad and I complemented each other so well, we decided to start a prototype machine business, Mechanical Specialties. He knew everything there was to know about machining and working with metal, and I was in the early years of a design career. The most memorable project that comes to mind is a semi-automatic tube bending machine. I\’m sure you girls can remember your Dad teaching one of you how to operate the device and bend very complex fuel line tubes for experimental diesel engines. We had may successful projects and just as many challenges. And, as I reflect on this, I realize that we made a great team. Your Dad taught me everything I know about machining and the use of metals. Your Dad truly was a Master Machinist. When your Dad received a promotion and I was starting to advance in my career, we decided to stop the prototype business. But our friendship was established and it continued over the years even though our families were growing and our careers were changing. Many times over the years, I would encounter a problem at work that I couldn\’t get a good answer to until I talked to your Dad. In the last conversation I had with your Dad he said “Wouldn\’t it be great if we lived closer to each other? There would be so many things we could do together”. I know he was thinking of the many times we spent together working on problems. Your Dad was a true friend and a wonderful father. I can\’t tell you how proud he was of you. He always spoke so lovingly and beautifully of you all. I\’ll miss your Dad. Love, Jer
My Dear Friend, Dale: I have known you all my life. I am the friend that introduced you to the love of your life, Bobbie. Little did I know at the time that it would be a lifetime shared with my dear friend. She was such a good part of your life, and those wonderful kids. How lucky you were to join such a successful family. You had such love showered on you by all of them. You were always treated with great respect. That garage, workshop treasure trove of yours, with every tool in the world there to create all those beautiful cues. What a master craftsman you were. Those cars we all rode around in were the hottest. Remember, I didn’t have a car until late 1952! You will be missed by all of us that knew you. We will always remember our school days as the happiest days of our lives. Thanks for sharing them with all of us. Lovingly, Pat Goolsby