Obituary of Colonel Dale Findley Means, US Army Ret.

Colonel Dale Findley Means, U.S. Army, Retired, 79, of Lexington, SC, passed into eternal life on May 13. 2021.  He was the son of Dale Eugene and Cleo Brown Means of Fayetteville, NC.  He is survived by his wife, Rebecca (Becky) Fuller Rice of Lexington, SC; brother Randolph Means (Susan) of Wilmington, DE; sister Julie Means Weikert of Harrisonburg, VA.; daughter Christie Heidt (Jim) of Springfield, VA.; son Aaron Means (Kristine) of Brevard, NC; daughter, Hannah Means-Shannon (Russell) of Mays Landing, NJ; son, Matthew Means of Cantebury, CT;  grandchildren Erin, Hallie, Harper, Emilio and Tulio; step-daughters, Corrie Rice Londono (Rod) of South Beach, FL. and Ashley Berzon (Chris) of Fort Worth, TX.

He was a true American patriot devoted to his country, extended family, and faith. Born September 25, 1941 at Ft. Bragg, NC, he spent his early years as an “Army Brat” living both stateside and overseas. After graduating from the Paris American High School in France, he then competed for and obtained an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.  The academy motto:  Duty, Honor, Country, was indeligibly etched into his life and performance of duty. He was lovingly remembered and respected for his service.

Following his graduation from West Point, he was commissioned an Army officer and was assigned to the 82^nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC. He later completed a combat tour in the Republic of Viet Nam with the 1^st Brigade of the 101^st Airborne Division. Following graduate level civil schooling, he returned to West Point to teach Mathematics to cadets for three years.

Having been promoted to the rank of Major, he was then assigned to the 802^nd Engineer Battalion (construction) in the Republic of Korea for a short tour, returning for a position as an Area Engineer for the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Following more military schooling, he became the Director of Engineering and Housing for the Karlsruhe Military Community in Germany, and after having been selected for command and promotion to Lt. Colonel, he remained there for duty as the Commander of the 249^th Engineer Battalion (Combat Heavy) in Karlsruhe.

Following his tour in Europe, he served in the Pentagon with the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army for work on high level analyses, and, after being promoted to Colonel, was subsequently assigned as the Commander of the Memphis District of the Army Corps of Engineers.  He then returned to Washington, DC for duty as the commander and Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Studies Center located at Ft. Belvoir, VA.  He was later selected as the Director of Engineering for the American Battle Monuments Commission in Washington, DC.  This federal commission is responsible for the administration of the 24 American Military Cemeteries overseas in Europe, North Africa, Panama and the Philippines, in addition to numerous memorials both in the United States and overseas.

Colonel Means’ military education included both Artillery and Engineer Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, and the National War College in Washington, DC.  He also received a Master of Science in Engineering from Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ.

His military awards and decorations included the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (2 awards), Air Medal (2 awards), Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), and the Army Commendation Medal.  He was also awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold star by the Republic of Vietnam for his meritorious duty in that combat zone.  In addition, he was also the recipient of numerous campaign and service ribbons.

Following his retirement from 30 years of active duty, he remained in the Washington, DC area and continued to support the Army through furnishing contract work with MPRI and CALIBRE, Inc. for another 10 years.  During that time, he helped the Army’s newly established installation Management Command grow into maturity by providing solutions to Publics Work challenges, and later supported the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for installations, Energy, and Environment in Washington, DC by providing direct assistance to meeting requirements in the environmental arena.

Following the completion of his work in Washington, DC in May 2013, he relocated to Columbia, SC, his beloved wife’s home town, to join her.  After settling in, he did volunteer work for the USO of South Carolina for a number of years.

During his career, Colonel Means was a member of, and active in, a number of professional societies and associations. These included the Society of American Military Engineers (Life Member), the Army Engineer Association (Life Member), the Military Officers Association of America (Life Member), and the Association of the United States Army.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am Friday, May 28, 2021 at Fort Jackson National Cemetery with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Haven Retreat (for active or retired police officers to rescue, restore and rebuild) at the following address:  www.thehavensc.org.

Thompsons Funeral Home of Lexington is assisting the Means Family.