Dan Dalke Memorial Service, August 16, 2010, Santa Barbara, CA

(Misprint in the program: Dan's mother's name was Wanda)

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Representing the Train Travel Meetup of Fullerton and TrainWeb.com, Tom Anderson and I, Carl Morrison, attended the Memorial Service for Fellow Meetup Member Dan Dalke. The service was in Santa Barbara, CA, at 11 a.m., so we decided, in honor of Dan, to take the train to the service from Fullerton, CA. We had ridden this exact route with Dan on a meetup outing. To get to the 7:30 a.m. train out of Los Angeles, we took Metrolink from Fullerton.

On the trip from Fullerton to Los Angeles, we passed the BNSF yard, which brought back memories of Dan to me. When we passed this yard on that earlier trip we made together, I recall Dan reciting locomotive numbers into a tape recorder for some kind of data base he must have been keeping at home. Now, each time I see a locomotive as I ride the train, I think of that moment, and Dan.

It became overcast as the Surfliner came out onto the beach at Ventura. This misty, moody scene seemed appropriate considering the reason for this train trip. The fresh water seemed to be taking a journey into the ocean, a uncertain destination, perhaps just like the journey Dan took on July 22.

Arriving in Santa Barbara, Tom and I grabbed a cab to the church at 935 San Andreas St. Once we arrived, in bright sunlight, about 25 minutes before the service, I took a few photos of the beautiful church grounds.

Rick and Tom

Flowers in and around the Chapel set a nice mood for Dan's Memorial Service.

The Chapel for the service. The screen later was used to show tribute photos of Dan on a trip he had taken to Israel with a group in attendance.

A nice lunch was provided after the service in an areas to the side of the Chapel.

It was an excellent service, a nice tribute to Dan. About 50 people were in attendance. Many relatives and members of his church attended, and provided musical and verbal tributes to Dan. Representing the Fullerton Train Meetup were Tom Anderson, Rick Schneider, Ken Ruben, and me.

Relatives of Dan mentioned that they were surprised at the good turnout of Dan's friends.

Dan will be missed at the Meetup Meetings and Outings. Trains were a big part of his 58 yr. life.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Morrison

Carl@TrainWeb.com

Dan traveled with the meetup group, by train, to the Depot Inn and Suites in La Plata, Missouri.

Photos of Dan, taken by Chris Guenzler, on that trip to La Plata:

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