I did not know Dale, but I know several men who knew him well (their comments are at the end of the story).  They say the church has lost a great pastor and great friend.  As in so much else of life, it is the celebrities that get all the attention, even at death.  This story is evidence that we should not succumb to that cultural standard. 

Rev. Dr. Dale A. Szallai, 60, passed away Tuesday, July 3, 2012, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.  Dale had been suffering from pancreatic cancer since it was first diagnosed about eighteen months ago.  He told friends that he didn’t experience much discomfort till this past week. He had only spent a few weeks in the hospital over the year and half, and missed only one or two Sundays, while he battled cancer. Born Nov. 1, 1951, in Youngstown, he was a son of the late Calmon E. and Arlene (Zimmerman) Szallai.  He attended Wilson High School in Youngstown in 1967, but did not complete his undergraduate work until 1985.  In that hardscrabble corner of Northeast Ohio, the need to work to supply income delayed higher education in many families.  Dale took a while to get his Bachelor’s changed his major and the like, mostly worked in sales.  He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Youngstown State University.

In October of 1973, Dale married a Youngstown girl and high school sweetheart named Christine Suza.  Christine became ill in November 2009 with mono and that, coupled with a liver condition, resulted in her organs shutting down. She was in the hospital two weeks before her passing on January 5, 2010.    They had two daughters, Erin and Rachel.

While working and studying in Youngstown, the family attended Gibson Heights 2nd United Presbyterian Church, and Dale was involved in the church’s ministry even before he completed college.

Understanding that his theological views were more conservative than his home denomination, when he sensed a call to the ministry he entered Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh (the RPCNA school). He received his MDiv in 1990.  He was called to the pastorate of an independent reformed congregation known as St. John’s Burry’s Church in New Sewickley Township and was subsequently licensed by Ascension Presbytery of the PCA in January of 1992 and ordained the following May.  He served St. John’s Burry’s from 1990 to 1999

That year he was called to be the pastor of New Life PCA in Hopewell Township, near Aliquippa, PA.  That congregation’s roots go back to 1823 when it was organized as the Raccoon Associate Reformed Church.  In 1858 they joined the newly formed United Presbyterian Church and remained the Raccoon United Presbyterian Church until 1981.  At that point, along with many other churches in the northeast, they left the UPC and joined the RPCES, which a few years later became part of the PCA.

Dale served the New Life Presbyterian Church in Hopewell Township from 1999 to the day he died.  He was the current president of Christians United of Beaver County, and was a member of the Greater Aliquippa Ministerial Association, and the Presbytery of the Ascension of the Presbyterian Church in America.  Even while he was suffering from cancer he completed a one year term as Moderator of the Presbytery from January 2011 to this past January.  He preached his last sermon on June 24th.

During his years at New Life, he returned to the classroom to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree.  Again, in spite of his cancer, he completed the degree and received his diploma in May of this year.

Surviving are two daughters and sons-in-law, Erin and Nathaniel Harvey of New Brighton and Rachel and John Harvey of Grayson, Ky.  You might notice that both girls have the same last name – they married brothers!!  There are four grandchildren, Colin, Ian, Owen and Camden Harvey.

Also surviving are two brothers and sisters-in-law, Gene and Patricia Szallai of Girard, and Scott and Linda Kidd of Austintown; two sisters, Cathy Stigliano of Youngstown and Lori Moyer of Englewood, Fla.; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Albert J. and Theresa (Wojton) Susa of Ohio; two sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law JoAnn (David) Woytek of Charlotte, N.C. and Cynthia (Peter) Poulakos of New Middletown, and Carolyn Kollar of Twinsburg; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Friends will be received Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Tatalovich Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 2205 McMinn St., Aliquippa, PA 15001.  Family and friends will gather Saturday at the New Life Presbyterian Church at 2795 Patterson Drive, Aliquippa, where a service will be held at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Jan Dykshoorn, a PCA minister from Michigan and a close friend, officiating.

Dale will be laid to rest next to his wife at St. John’ Burry’s Church Cemetery in New Sewickley Township.  In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to make memorial donations to Christians United of Beaver County or the New Life Presbyterian Church.

Following are a few tribute comments from Jan Dykshoorn, who will officiate the funeral on Saturday, and Ric Raines, who grew up in St. John’s Burry’s and was my classmate at Covenant Seminary in the early 70’s.  Ric is still in the church he took right after finishing seminary, Fairview Reformed in Industry, PA.

From Jan just a few short comments as he was concentrating on preparations for the funeral – Jan also provided many details for the obituary:

‘Dale was a wonderful friend and such a good and loving Pastor, truly a man of God, he preached with power and authority even to the end, last week in a wheelchair. He was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer a year after he lost Christine, they were High School sweethearts.  Last week Friday near the end he told me “I love the Lord more than when I was healthy, I can see it, how good he has been to me.”   According to His will the Lord has retired a valued fellow laborer in His Vineyard, and he has preceded us Home.’

From Ric:

 ‘Dale was a tall man but was humble and respected others. He stood for the biblical things that are right. Just this past January, he attended the Sanctity for Human Life service, outdoors in January, when the wind chill was about 0. He had already had lost a lot of weigh. It was just about a year after his wife had died that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We thought he had lost the weigh from grieving for his wife. DeeDee and I, along with another couple from the Ascension Presbytery, had some good times together with Christine and Date at the General Assembly in Orlando. By November, she was taken seriously ill and passed away in January…

 ‘He kept up with all his pastoral work and preached his last sermon on June 24^th from Hebrews 13 on “Leadership”. We had a good time of fellowship in driving to the General Assembly in Virginia Beach and he planned to go with me to Louisville this year, but his condition was deteriorating fast. He said he didn’t experience much discomfort till this past week. He had only spent a few weeks in the hospital over the year and half, and missed only one or two Sundays, while he battled cancer. He loved his grandchildren and spending time with his family. He would babysit his grandchildren once a week or as often as he was needed. He was a faithful supporter of missions, Christian unity and the camps for the youth. I will miss him for his humble spirit, respect for others, and sound judgment.’