MOHLMAN, DALE V.

Dale Verland (Dusty) Mohlman was born on July 10, 1923, in Columbus, Neb. After working the wheat harvest and in CCC camps in the summers during high school, he joined the Marine Corps 1942, and saw action in Bougainville as part of the Carlson Raiders and later at Okinawa. When the war ended, Dusty returned to Nebraska, married, had two sons, Lyle, and Dwayne, and apprenticed with a master carpenter until he was recalled for the Korean Conflict. During this stint with the Marines, he decided to make the military his career, and never regretted his decision. He was fiercely patriotic and proud to serve his country and developed a lifelong interest in the cultures of other nations as a result of time spent in Japan and several other ports of call. Following Korea, he served as the Maintenance Chief of VMCJ-1 at Danang Vietnam. When he retired in 1969, he found his way to Camp, Arkansas, by visiting a friend, and bought the farm that he lived on for the next 40 years. In 1975, he married Virginia Lee Murray of Thayer, Missouri. They had many, many years of happiness together, shared by numerous dogs, cats, one donkey, a horse, a goose, dozens of chickens, peacocks, a raccoon, thousands of wild birds, and trusting deer that came into the yard every night. He used his skill and love of woodworking to make beautiful pieces including intricate award-winning chess sets, bluebird houses, swings, and miniature saw horses that, more often than not, he ended up giving to friends. He never quit educating himself — even after losing his eyesight, by listening to historical books on tape from the Library of Congress. He became ill in December of 2010, but kept his sense of humor and determination to the end. He passed away peacefully, and gratefully in his sleep on June 27, 2011.

Dusty leaves behind a close-knit group of neighbors who were his “family,” especially after “Jan” passed away in November of 2009. He described his life as “the best.”

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 9, 2011, at Barker Funeral Home Chapel in Salem, Ark.