Dale W. Rufe was born Dec. He was the seventh son out of nine - 11 siblings in total. His brother Lawrence passed away at the age of 2. Rufe and his other siblings attended and graduated from Craigmont High School. During the summers he worked for the U. He was quick to say he was "no scholar" during his school days, but maintained his grades in order to be eligible to play sports.
His favorite sport was basketball. In , he was the leading scorer for his basketball team when it won the Idaho State Championship game. After high school, Rufe was drafted for military service.
His choice for service was the U. Marine Corps. During his time in the military, Rufe was at the invasion of Iwo Jima that began Feb. He was there for all 36 days of the battle. He was honorably discharged in May After discharge, he returned home and married a Nezperce girl, Josephine Miller, on Nov. They had three children, David, Debora and Elizabeth "Libby. In , they moved to Lewiston, where he worked at Reed's Hardware and the Lewiston Grain Growers, from which he retired. In their spare time they loved to play cards and spend time with family and friends.
Rufe and Jo were married 65 years until Jo's death in August Rufe also had a passion to work in his yard and prided himself on his tomato crop. Rufe was a longtime member of Al-anon.
He also enjoyed reading and watching his favorite shows "Jeopardy," "Wheel of Fortune" and watching sports, especially college basketball. A military graveside service will be held a later date yet to be determined.
