August 23, 1950 – May 28, 2025

On Wednesday, May 28, 2025 the world lost a loving and cherished husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend, Dale Chris Elias Ziefflie at the age of 74 years.

Born August 23, 1950 in Melfort, Saskatchewan to parents Chris and Ester Ziefflie, Dale grew up in Melfort where he went to school and would eventually meet the woman who would become his wife of 50 years, Marjorie Anne Flodell. In 1973 with big dreams for their future, Dale and Marjorie packed up their worldly possessions and ventured off to Edmonton to start a new chapter, where they eventually married in July of 1975. In March of 1978 their family grew with the birth of their first child which was followed by a move in 1980 to Redwater, Alberta where Dale and his family settled down for good. He also began his 35 year career as a pipeline supervisor with Texaco (Imperial Oil) this year before their last child was born in January of 1981.

During the early years in Redwater while their children were young, Dale could be found coaching his son’s hockey and baseball teams, working on cars and fixing up golf carts to supply the Redwater golf course. He also spent a big majority of this time traveling across many provinces for his children’s hockey, ringette, baseball, softball and dance for almost two decades.

He loved being outside, especially when the sun was shining so he could work on his tan, never a shirt to be seen. Camping, fishing, hunting, boating, sledding, golfing, hockey, baseball, gardening or continually working on & fixing up his prized antique car were some of his favourite pastimes. In his downtime he also enjoyed watching old western movies, especially anything featuring Clint Eastwood. Always wanting to stay busy, later in life Dale taught himself an incredible amount of knowledge surrounding computers and technology, which he put to use rebuilding towers and laptops while also helping others fix their computer issues.

Dale was also a total foodie at heart. He was the family chef and thoroughly enjoyed creating his own recipes, trying new ones he came across in his travels, and sharing them with anyone who asked. He especially shone when it came to making cinnamon buns or his famous Papa’s pizza.

Dale loved his family and friends fiercely. Interactions with those he loved and cared for was what he cherished the most in life. He had a wonderful sense of humour and could be a real jokester. You definitely knew he liked you if he teased you and he always enjoyed a good gab session filled with lots of laughs and good humour.

One of the things Dale most looked forward to, in these last years especially, was the bi-weekly visits from his oldest son Rodney when he was home for days off. The strong relationship they had mended and worked towards over the years was so very special to him.

Dale considered himself so blessed to be close to his four grandchildren and he spent as much quality time as he could with them. He would travel far and wide across the province to watch their ringette, hockey and dance competitions and his eyes would light up with pure joy while he witnessed their talents. Some of the most magical memories he created with his grandchildren was while he and Marj hosted at the Long Lake Provincial campground for many summer seasons, where they would stay for weeks so he could take them out boating, swimming, tubing fishing, bike riding and, most importantly, for their daily ice cream trips.

Prior to his retirement and continuing for decades to follow, Dale and Marj caught the travel bug, determined to enjoy as much of the world as possible. Together they experienced multiple cruises and vacations to a vast number of countries all across the globe. One of the most special trips was a weeklong sun-filled family vacation in 2018 to Cancun, Mexico with so many memories made that we all treasure to this day.

Dale is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Marjorie; his children, Rodney, Bobbi, and Kirk; his grandchildren, Samantha, Alexander, Harper, and Harlow; his siblings, Darlene, Doreen, and Daniel; along with numerous extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, Chris and Ester Ziefflie.

His family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to everyone that lent him & Marj a hand from time to time over the years, especially one of his very best friends, Richard Jacob. Thank you so very much for everything you have done and continue to do for his family.

In keeping with his wishes cremation has taken place.

A Celebration of Life
Friday July 11, 2025
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Melfort Legion
101 Macleod Avenue East
Melfort, Saskatchewan