James Dale Oliver went be with His Lord on Feb. 24, 2021.
He was born Sept. 6, 1933, in Glade Spring, Va., and was the son of the late Roy and Stella Oliver. He was predeceased by his sister and brother-in-law, Wilma and Mahlon Wyatt.
He graduated from Liberty Hall High School in 1951 and earned a B.S. Degree in Agricultural Education from Virginia Tech in 1955. He graduated from the Cadet Corps and served two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Artillery and was discharged as a Captain.
After being discharged from the army, he was appointed as an extension agent in Roanoke County, Va., in 1957. In 1960, he accepted a faculty position in ag education at Virginia Tech and completed his M.S. degree in 1963 and a Ph.D. degree in 1970 in agriculture economics. He retired from Virginia Tech in 1992.
Dale was a good friend to all who knew him and was always faithful to whatever task he was appointed to do as evidenced by his being a member of the Blacksburg Planning Commission for 35 years, serving on the Board of Appalachian Bible College for 37 years, and being a member of Harvest Baptist Church where he faithfully served as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher and in many other positions. He was active in many roles in the community and enjoyed Virginia Tech sports.
Dale is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Patricia Duncan Oliver; his daughters Debbie (Richard) Dustin of Springfield, Ohio, and Brenda Oliver of Blacksburg. He is also survived by two grandsons, Michael (Ashley) and Erik Dustin of Springfield, Ohio; two great-grandchildren, Georgia and Lincoln; a brother Darius (Sue) Oliver of Abingdon, Va.; and several nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces.
Viewing is limited to groups of 10 and is from 10 a.m. until noon today, Saturday, Feb. 27, with a funeral service at Harvest Baptist Church in Blacksburg at 1 p.m. A graveside service will be held following the funeral at Roselawn Memorial Gardens. The service will also be livestreamed at harvestofblacksburg.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Harvest Baptist Church Building Fund, 201 Lucas Drive, Blacksburg, Va.; Appalachian Bible College, 161 College Drive, Mount Hope, WV 25880; or the J. Dale and Patricia Oliver Scholarship for ALCE undergraduate students at Virginia Tech. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.