William Dale Bland

William Dale Bland, well-known and loved Rogers native, passed away peacefully on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at Mercy Medical Center. He was born in Larue, Ark., on Oct. 18, 1930, to the late W.E. and Elba (King) Bland. Dale was a life-long resident of Rogers, attending Rogers High School, during which he worked at Croxdale's IGA. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, obtaining the rank of Master Sergeant. Dale served as the Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief in Rogers for 20 years. He loved sports, and was a Little League umpire, was a statistician on the sidelines of Mountaineer football games for head coaches Frank Tillery and Blackie Bond, and was very active in the Mountaineer Booster Club, of which he was a member from its inception. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rogers High School Sports Hall of Fame. Dale was also a loyal member of the Lions Club, serving as President of the local chapter. He was a champion at both Prairie Creek Country Club, and Twin City Golf Club. He enjoyed visiting and drinking coffee every morning with his friends at Marion's Daylight Donuts. He worked for and managed Myers Motor Supply, Southern Supply and was the owner of Bland Auto Parts on Second Street. After his retirement, he was employed for 20 years with the Rogers School District as the interschool mail courier. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Anne Bland; sister, Ina Neil of Lowell; brothers, Kenneth Bland of Florida, Denver Bland and Rex Bland, both of Wichita, Kan., Gene Bland of Rogers, and their spouses; brother-in-law, Tom Tucker; sisters-in-law, Betty Kline of Kansas and Connie Slocomb of Texas; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of friends. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday in the Rollins Funeral Home Chapel. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, should be made to the Rogers Mounties Booster Club or the Lions Club of Rogers. Cremation and service arrangements are by Rollins Funeral Home of Rogers. Online condolences may be made at www.rollinsfuneral.com.