Dale Allen Waters, 84, passed away Thursday, January 1, 2026 following a car accident several months earlier. A beloved son, brother, uncle, friend and father of dogs, he was born in Janesville, WI on Nov. 13, 1941 to the late Leonard and Lillian Waters. He attended Saint Peter and Paul Grade School and graduated from Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 1959. Dale attended Wisconsin State University Stevens Point and after several years he transferred to the University of Wisconsin Madison and entered their medical program. Dale graduated from Emory University Heart Surgery program and did internships and residencies at Grady Memorial- Atlanta, Georgia, Charity Hospital – New Orleans, Louisiana and finished his residency at Ben Taub Hospital- Houston, Texas. Upon finishing his residency, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Special Forces, as a doctor in their paratrooper division Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, training military medics for deployment to Vietnam.

After leaving the service, Dale entered practice in Topeka, Kansas, then moved to several other places in the West - Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico among other places and at one point started the cardiac surgery program in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Dale was an avid skier, cyclist and runner. He enjoyed traveling all over the world to ski – New Zealand, Europe and South America. He spent part of one year as a physician for the U.S. Women’s Ski Team. He entered long distance bicycle events, including multiple Ride Across Iowa’s. He traveled extensively with friends and said the favorite place he went was Croatia.

Knee problems ultimately led to his retirement. He maintained his interest in cardiac thoracic surgery throughout his life by continuing to read the latest information in industry magazines and books. He was a lifelong learner, that included learning Spanish, learning to play guitar and reading about military history.

He was a passionate Harley Davidison rider and owner. He fell in love with the American West and retired in the Albuquerque area, building his dream house in the East Mountains. Throughout his life, his dogs were his children – Sundance, Obi, Mata Hari, Thor, Janga, Kay.

He is survived by 3 nieces and one nephew: Pam (Scott) Twardzik, Palm Bay, FL, Missy (Mike) St. Pierre-Sands, Longwood, FL, Kyle (Kelly) St. Pierre-Shiflet, Orange City, FL, Wade (Debbie) Wittig, Baton Rouge, LA.

He was preceded in death by his sisters Carol Wittig and Kay St. Pierre and niece Shelly Warr.

A memorial service will be held January 26th, at Holy Child Parish Catholic Church in Tijeras at 9 AM. Interment at the Santa Fe National Cemetery will follow at 2 PM.