DALE NESSAN

Services: 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, Montgomery-Viets Funeral Home of Buffalo. Burial in Hopewell Cemetery, Tunas. Visitation: 10 to 11 a.m. prior to services at the funeral home.

The Rev. Richard Willis will officiate. Music selections are “Will the Circle be Unbroken” from Good friends Pickin’ Old Time Hymns. Memorials may be made to the Carrie J. Babb Cancer Center, 1501 N. Oakland Ave., Bolivar, MO 65613.

Escorts are Jerry Cox, Jerry Duff, Mark Gardner, Jim Smith, Douglas Stidham, Terry Willis and Rodney Zimmerman.

Dale Nessan, 78, was born March 13, 1937, in Tunas, the son of Malcum and Lina (Stidham) Nessan. He died Oct. 19, 2015, at Citizens Memorial Hospital, Bolivar.

He was united in marriage with Donna Gardner on Aug. 14, 1977.

For many years he drove a truck for Urbana MFA and later for Buffalo MFA. He retired from Dallas County Road and Bridge.

He loved singing and picking his guitar, known for its green patch, first with his friends Jerry Cox and Jim Smith. Then for almost 20 years he was the emcee on the Pomme de Terre Opry. After an almost 20-year hiatus, in 2004 he began playing for dances, jamming every week, sometimes six nights with a day or two “just to keep in practice.”

He enjoyed “pickin’ n’ grinnin’” with many musicians including those from Long Lane, Foose, Engles Senior Center, Phillipsburg, Macks Creek and one weekly group that has been playing together since about 2005. During the past few years, he played twin fiddles, to everyone’s surprise, with his wife, Donna.

He and Donna raised, broke, trained and stood stallions, and showed fox trotting horses for nearly 30 years.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include his wife; a sister, Eva Marie Glor; one niece, Evonne and husband, Larry Nutter; one nephew, John and wife, Bich Maya Glor; two great-nephews; and one great-niece.