Dale Allen Wurster

Dale Allen Wurster, age 62, of Hanover, IL, passed away on June 17, 2024, in his home, with his family by his side. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 29 at First United Methodist Church, in Elizabeth, IL. A celebration of life will follow at Manny’s in Savanna, from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

Dale was born April 7, 1962 in Savanna, IL, the son of Allen Dale Wurster and Shirley (Winter) Wurster. He attended school in Elizabeth, graduating from Elizabeth High School with the class of 1980, before earning a degree in business from Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL), in 1984. In 1998, Dale married Sandy Pritchard, and together they had two sons, Dawson and Owen. Dale would go on to serve as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for 30 years, in both Savanna and Lanark, IL, retiring in May, 2021.

A good athlete in his day, Dale loved being able to pass on his love of sports to his boys. He played softball, basketball, and in adulthood, golf, and took the opportunity to coach his son’s youth teams. He was a lifelong Vikings fan, attending his first games with his cousins, before carrying on the tradition with Dawson and Owen.

Family was the most important part of Dale’s life; beginning with his involvement with the family farm. He cherished time spent working that land, alongside those he loved. He looked forward to family gatherings and would rarely pass up a good game of cards, most notably, Euchre, 500, and Pinochle.

Due to his medical difficulties, Dale had ample time to consider life’s most important aspects; and before his passing, he wrote down a few thoughts, to pass on to those he loved:
Don’t ever give up
Don’t take life for granted
Life is precious
Live each day
We are all family under God

And in true Dale fashion, his last written remarks were, “I love all my family and friends.” Dale will be dearly missed by his two sons, Dawson Wurster and Owen Wurster, both of Savanna; parents, Allen and Shirly Wurster, of Elizabeth; sisters, Vicki Wurster, of Elizabeth and Debra Wurster, of Freeport, IL; and friend and mother of his children, Sandy Pritchard Wurster, of Savanna. He is preceded in death by his paternal and maternal grandparents.