Dale E. Himmelman

Dale Edward Himmelman was born December 23, 1934 to Fred and Mayme (Bublitz) Himmelman. Dale passed away peacefully, November 25, 2025 one month shy of his 91st birthday.

Dale met the love of his life, Verla Heyer, at Art’s Deluxe in 1953. They were married September 4, 1954 at Colman Methodist Church in Colman SD. Dale was a member of one of Mankato’s original families, they settled here in 1855. Dale was a life-long resident of North Mankato. He began his working life by owning and operating the Webb gas station at Belgrade and Center Streets.

He went to work at the Highway Department, later MNDOT, in 1955. He worked on dozens of highway projects in southern Minnesota, including I-90 from Blue Earth to the South Dakota state line. Beginning in the 1960’s he also worked weekends at Uppies North Star gas station in Lake Crystal. He was a real “car guy”. He always worked on his own vehicles, out in his garage.

Dale retired from MNDOT in 1992, and then began working at the Free Press. He maintained the fleet of delivery vans, and also delivered the bundles of newspapers to towns surrounding Mankato. He retired "for good" from the Free Press. Ever the one to try something new, Dale learned to ski at the age of 49, in the early 1980’s. This led to many trips to Colorado and getting the grandchildren involved in the sport in 1986. He and his brother skied Alta in Utah for many years too. Dale and his brother had a deep interest in genealogy. They spent many hours every year at the LDS research facility. As a result, we have a detailed and complete family tree. They made trips to Europe for more research. Dale was a member of Centenary UMC from 1954 until his death. He was involved in Methodist Men and served as an usher for decades.

Dale is predeceased by his parents; wife, Verla; and all four siblings: Elaine (Carl) Anderson, Gwynlyn (Dorset) Gant, Blaine (Carol Johnson), and Donna (Charles) Southwick.

He is survived by his children: Kathryn (L.C.) Smith of Pueblo CO, Susan Himmelman of Sleepy Eye, and David (Lisa) of North Mankato; Grandchildren: Hanna Himmelman of Jacksonville FL, Megan Himmelman of New Ulm MN, Christina (Joseph) Monson and Krystal Smith of Pueblo CO, Lee (Chris Paulson) Smith of Wheat Ridge CO, and Josephine McMurtry of St Louis Park and Justin McMurtry of Mankato; Great Grandchildren: Michael, Christian, and Kendall Monson, and Benjamin (Cheyenne) Smith; Great-Great Grandson, Akicita Smith; Sister-in-Law, Diana Heyer of Del Rapids SD; Special travel companion Nancy Hoy; and his beloved cat, Bob.

Memorial service will be 11:00am Friday, December 12, 2025 at Northview~North Mankato Mortuary. Visitation will be 5:00pm-7:00pm Thursday, December 11th at Northview and one hour prior to the service. Memorials can be made to Centenary UMC, Glenwood Mausoleum Fund and St. Judes. For the service livestream or to leave a condolence, please visit www.mankatomortuary.com.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by Mankato Area Funeral Homes.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.