Robert Dale Heinkel

Robert Dale Heinkel (“Dale”) was born on Friday, September 17, 1937 in Dayton, Ohio to Geneva Marie and Robert Vernon Heinkel. Raised mostly by his beloved grandparents, Edith and Robert Frank Heinkel, Dale grew up with a solid moral and spiritual background based in the Bible, the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, and a profound mid-western Protestant work-ethic. Dale met his first wife, Barbara Ann Foster, in high school and they married after graduation to start a family that would yield four children. Dale attended and graduated from Ohio State University with a business and technology education. In 1968, after the birth of their youngest child, Dale and his wife left Dayton to start a new life in San Jose, California as the high-tech industry began to take off. With his combined talents of understanding high-technology and business, Dale quickly rose in rank from sales representative to executive to work alongside many of the key leaders that built Silicon Valley. Dale’s highly successful career led him to live in Southern California for several years, then back to the South San Francisco Bay Area. In the late 70’s Barbara and Dale separated and later Dale met Tina Marie Larson. They married and spent decades together building a beautiful life, making many lifelong friendships, and embarking on many travel adventures. Dale retired to live in the countryside of Mt. Vernon, Washington. Upon the death of Tina in 2017, he moved to Boise, Idaho to live near, then with, his beloved daughter, Cynthia. During his life, Dale cultivated in himself an astute sense of aesthetics and love for nature. He loved hiking and sailing boats, traveling the world, visiting historical sites and immersing himself in the history of his ancestors. Along the way, Dale used his gifts of empathy, optimism, friendliness, and graciousness to forge many life-long friendships. He and Tina loved entertaining guests at their home, a place they made very special with great attention paid to beauty and humble opulence. Dale loved to plant and tend beautiful gardens at his home, spending much of his free time carefully pruning and caring for his landscape. Dale is survived by his four children, his stepson and their respective significant others and children: Robert Scott Heinkel and his wife Sue and son, Steven Price and his daughter; Steven Douglas Heinkel and his wife Ada and their three daughters, Harmony Walter, Heather Gagatch and Ashley Heinkel, and their children; Cynthia Ann Heinkel McCaene and her partner Bob Marcantel; Anna Lynne Heinkel and her partner Riley Knight, and her son, Ryan Grant Heinkel-Gerami; Troy Milan and his two children, Raymond and Rachel. Dale died peacefully on the morning of August 25, 2020 in Boise, Idaho, at home surrounded by family while doing his two favorite things, looking at his garden and listening to beautiful music. Our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the gracious support St Luke's Hospice provided us during this difficult time. They are truly angels and we are humbled by the care and compassion shown to Dale and his family in his final months.