Carlos Kenny Dale, 96, of Mathews, died on March 30, 2013.

Kenny was born May 29, 1916 in Norfolk to Harvey Leroy and Mae McClenny Dale. He grew up in Portsmouth, and after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School, he attended North Carolina State College, majoring in Forestry.

During WWII he served his country with distinction with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, receiving both the Victory Medal and the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for heroism. Kenny continued to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve until his retirement in 1976, with the rank of Captain.

After WWII, Kenny attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute earning a M.S. in Wildlife Conservation. Thereafter, he enjoyed a 30-year career in the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, retiring in 1971. Kenny was awarded both a Meritorious Service Medal and a National Park Service Citation during his years of government service.

Kenny returned to the Tidewater area after his retirement, living in the Churchland section of Portsmouth, where he pursued his passion for the water and sailing.

In 1983, he and his bride, Boleyn Brownlee Dale, moved to Mathews County to a home they built on Stutts Creek in Moon, Va. They spent the next 20 years enjoying the beauty of Mathews County and surrounding areas. Kenny and Boleyn were very active members of the community and enjoyed their home with family and friends.

Kenny was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Elizabeth Clark Dale, and his second wife, Boleyn Brownlee Dale.

He is survived by his son, Kenny Maxwell Dale and wife Emily; his son, John Clark Dale; granddaughter, Elizabeth Wimmer and husband Adam; grandson, Justin Dale and wife Stacy; great-grandchildren, Berkley and Grant Wimmer; step-daughter, Nancy Joan Stotts and husband David, along with their children Catherine, Carolyn, Joanna, and Jonathan, and Jonathan’s wife Kimberly; step-son, Jake Douglas Miller Jr. and wife Allison, along with their children Nathan and Amber Lee; step-son, John Allen Miller and wife Kandace, their children Charlotte and John Jr., and step-son, Frederick Alexander Miller and wife Yu Chen.

Graveside service with military honors will be held at 11 a.m. on April 8, 2013, at Olive Branch Cemetery, Portsmouth, Va. The family will receive friends on April 7, 2013 from 4-5:30 p.m. at Hogg Funeral Home, Gloucester Point.

Should friends desire memorial donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Chapter, 490 Westfield Road, Charlottesville, Va. 22901 or to Mathews Meals on Wheels Program, c/o Bay Aging, P.O. Box 610, Urbanna, Va. 23175.