Dale Everett Sprout, 78, a former Tulelake resident, died of pancreatic cancer April 22, 2002, at his home in Grants Pass.

Mr. Sprout was born Aug 8, 1923, near Bridgeport, Neb., to Everett and Inez (Middleton) Sprout.

He graduated from Tulelake High School. He married his high school sweetheart, Iva Mae Loiselle, in 1942. Their son, Larry Dale, was born in 1943. Lynn Darlene, their daughter, was born in 1944.

Mr. Sprout served as flight commander for the 15th Air Force in World War II. He flew P-51 fighter planes in the European Campaign based in Italy, and achieved the rank of captain.

The Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and the Certificate of Valor were among the many honors he received.

After the war Mr. Sprout took part in a national lottery for returning veterans. He was awarded a homestead in Tulelake.

He and young family were featured on the cover of the Jan. 20, 1947, edition of Life magazine showing the land where he and family were potato and wheat farmers for the next 12 years.

He later began the training to become a blacksmith, and opened DS Tools in 1964. He made horseshoeing tools, and his craftsmanship soon became well-known.

Mr. Sprout was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association for 30 years while he pursued his passion for team roping and calf roping.

He and his wife moved to Grants Pass in 1973.

He retired from blacksmithing in the early 1990s, sold his business, and became an avid golfer. He belonged to the Grants Pass Golf Club.

He is survived by his wife, Iva of Grants Pass; daughter, Lynn Sprout-Beach and her husband Will Beach of Grants Pass; son, Larry D. Sprout and his wife Roxanne of Klamath Falls; grandson, Buck Caporosa of Hollywood, Calif.; and granddaughter, Brandy Caporosa of Mount Shasta.

No funeral services are planned. Memorial contributions may be made to Wildlife Images in Grants Pass.

Dale Sprout (1923)