Dale E. Showalter

Dale E. Showalter died Oct. 16. He was 87.

Showalter was born on May 2, 1926, in the small farm town of Olathe, Colorado, to Mary and Clay Showalter. He was the youngest of six boys.

He attended Olathe High School and after graduation in 1944 at 18, he followed his older brothers enlisting in the Army Air Corps. In 1946 he left the Air Force to enroll at Colorado State University. He married Barbara Fisher, also of Olathe, on Dec. 28, 1948. He graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

His first job, working to understand the newly developed nuclear energy at Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico, required moving to Albuquerque from Fort Collins Colo. Salvaging an axle and wheels from an old Model T, Showalter built a wooden trailer, packed all of their belongings in this homemade trailer and towed it south. In that first job, he traveled from White Sands, N.M. to Oakridge, Tennessee to the South Sea Islands (Bikini Atoll) to measure the effect of the atomic tests. His first two sons were born in Albuquerque. In 1954 they moved to Livermore, Calif. where he continued testing in atomic and particle physics at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and where their final son was born. In 1956 Showalter began working at the Idaho National Laboratory, applying nuclear energy to practical problems. Showalter moved his family to Mercer Island in 1961 and started the first of what was to become several successful business ventures. He passed along this entrepreneurial spirit to all of his sons. From the many wise and practical examples he gave them, they each went on to become successful entrepreneurs.

Of Showalter's accomplishments, one of the things he was most proud of was his role in helping the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company navigate the transition from manual design to computer aided design for the 747, 767 and 757 airplanes.

Showalter and his wife were lifelong Presbyterians and members and supporters of the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years. Throughout the years, he passed on to his family his love for water skiing, boating, fishing, Boy Scouts, hiking and camping.

Showalter is survived by his wife Barbara; his sons and their wives, Mike (Janet), Steve (Becky), Jack (Nicole); and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church located at 3605 84th Ave. SE in Mercer Island, Wash. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. In line with his sense of gratitude, the family requests that rather than flowers, remembrances be made to your favorite charity with a note to the family sharing to whom you have given.