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Dale Edward Buchko
Born: 4/27/1951
Died: 9/8/2025
Age: 74
Community: Danville, IN
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Dale Edward Buchko, age 74, of Danville, IN passed away on Monday, September 8, 2025. Dale was a devoted father of Lissa Connell of Danville, IN and Andrew Buchko of Denver, CO, proud Grandpa of Zander Connell and Ezra Hamby; dear sister Peggy McCombs of Mt. Morris, MI, and brother Ronald Buchko of Chase, MI; and dear friend of Debbie Ray (Al) of Pittsboro, IN. Dale is also survived by extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Buchko and Madolyn Buchko (Smith). Dale loved the Lord. He also loved music and summer concerts and attended GMI (Kettering) for his education. Dale loved listening to 60’s music and his favorite bands were Journey and Abba. He was a devoted Father and grandfather. Dale will be missed dearly by all who knew him. Special thanks to Lissa’s half brother Daniel Casteel for taking great care of him during his last year of life. Daniel was Dale’s “wing man!” Dale always said that Daniel had his 6. My dad was and will always be my “ride or die.” Dale was the kind of person who you could tell anything to without any judgement. Dale was the kind of person you’d call if you thought of a random dad joke or just hearing his voice. Dale and I were so in sync with each other that I knew when he needed a hug, I’d drive to his work, call him and have him come outside to see me. The day he found out that he had been transferred from Indiana to Michigan for work, I was with my friend Linsey and had a weird feeling. I had Linsey drive me to his work so that I could give him a hug.
Dale was the kind of man that you’d travel hours to see for just a short amount of time. He lit up every room he was in and was cherished by everyone who had the pleasure of crossing his path. Dale was the kind of person who made friends with everyone, including his bankers, Wellbridge staff and co-workers. Dale was the most generous, loving, kind and genuine person.
Dale was the best father and grandfather on the planet. When growing up we’d go places and he’d say, “Don’t touch anything, you’re not getting anything.” However, as a grandfather, it was more like “How many and what color?” The grandkids had him wrapped around his finger from the second he laid eyes on them. The man made sure his children and grandchildren knew how much he loved them. When Ezra wasn’t even two years old yet, she grabbed his hand while he was sitting on the couch, led him to the kitchen table, ran back to the living room and said, “Haha took your seat.” The connection between him and his grandchildren was never-ending.
Talk about a sense of humor. Dale’s sense of humor was out of this world. The joke he used the most was when someone would tell him he was handsome. He’d say, “I couldn’t get a date in a women’s prison with a fist full of pardons.” False. He was adorable. Anywhere he went, his smile lit the place up. Even the staff at Wellbridge loved him, his sense of humor could break tension no matter the circumstances. Luckily, nature vs. nurture kicked in and I inherited his sense of humor even though I’m his chosen daughter. My children were also lucky enough to inherit his humor as well.
Two things come to mind when I think of his favorite things to do. Those two things include hunting and concerts. He would dress up and dance with the best of them. His sister, his nieces, his wingman Daniel and I were lucky enough to continue to take him to his summer concerts for the year 2025. He attended the 80’s fest in Frankenmuth the day he was released from Hurley Hospital. Although he was put on a seizure medicine that day, I ensured that he was able to stay the entire night, right by the stage and sing his little heart out. I was also able to take him to the Lauren Daigle concert in Indianapolis, and the Transiberian Orchestra. His sister Peggy took him or accompanied him to the concerts in Clio, Fenton and Frankenmuth. His dream was to drive his Denali across the country, hauling a camper with his siblings.
Hunting was his passion and “respite.” His brother Ron and him would go to Wyoming every year to hunt for antelope and deer. I can’t think of a single hunting season that he missed prior to this year, including my son’s birth and allowing a TV show I drug him to, to work with him on his house. Ron was a loyal brother and friend, ensuring Dale enjoyed sitting in the hunting blind, enjoying fish fries, wild game dinners and anything they wanted to do together. The two of them would go to French Lick, Indiana and hunt each year as well. I remember going with my dad when I was about 8 years old. He went out at the crack of dawn and just as the sun was coming up I heard a noise, ran out of the barn and started yelling, “Daddy!” By the time I found him in the woods, it was the perfect time for the deer to appear, but I ruined that day for him. Come to find out, there was a bee in the barn. We went back out that day, he fell asleep in the hunting blind and his snoring attracted some deer. He refused to fire his rifle because he didn’t want the shell to discharge and hit me.
When Dale did something, he put everything he had into it. Dale found his passion in his career and worked his way up the ladder at what he did. Dale found the love of his life at 19 years old and stayed married, faithful and happy to Penny until she unfortunately passed away at the age of 69. No one could ever compare to the love Dale and Penny shared. Dale and Penny adopted my brother and I in 1990 when he was already 39 years old. It was no easy feat. Although we gave him hell, even as infants on monitors, his love for us never wavered.
People come and go in our lives and if you were one of the lucky ones to know Dale (Cleatus) to some, then you knew he was the type of person you wanted to stick around. There were a few people who attempted to break his spirit and bring him down in his most vulnerable times, however he knew who truly loved him, turned to his family and God and didn’t let it get him down. Even with his diagnosis and knowing he didn’t have long to live, he made everyday a good day, at least to the best of his ability. Luckily his family was able to get him to his 49th state, Hawaii. We had a trip to Alaska scheduled for three days after his passing. His family will ensure a piece of him makes it to that 50th state.
His family and I would like to give a huge thank you and shout out to Daniel Casteel, the twins’ older half-brother, who helped Dale tremendously in his last year. Although Daniel wasn’t adopted by Dale, he was most definitely like a son to him. Dale made sure everyone knew how he felt about Daniel and how grateful he was to have him around. Daniel and Dale had their own inside jokes, and Daniel knew how to make Dale laugh, even in the darkest times. Daniel is now a part of this family and will forever be cherished for the role he played in the happiness of Dale’s final days.
A funeral visitation for Dale will be held Monday, September 15, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Brown Funeral Home, 1480 Hill Road, Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM, at Brown Funeral Home. An interment will occur at Crestwood Cemetery, 2020 Hill Road, Grand Blanc, Michigan 48439. |
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| Visitation |
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9/15/2025 |
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3:00 PM |
| Visitation from 3pm to 8pm |
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| Funeral Service |
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9/16/2025 |
| Time: |
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11:00 AM |
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| Location: |
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Brown Funeral Home
1480 E. Hill Road
Grand Blanc, MI 48439Get a Map to this location...
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