Dale Reuben Cleghorn

Dale Reuben Cleghorn, 72 years, 9 months, and 2 days old, passed away on March 10, 2026, from a long illness in Dora, Missouri, surrounded by his family.

Born on June 8, 1953, in Lorain, Ohio, to Donald E. and Dorothy June (Hoskyn) Cleghorn, Dale was raised in Ohio and graduated from Loudonville High School. He worked for several years at his father’s fish farm and later at Emerson Electric in Ohio. Health challenges eventually led him to Missouri, where he made his home on the family farm in Drury.

In July 1999, Dale married Elinor Francis Ward in Osawatomie, Kansas. Together they raised their children on the farm. A man of deep faith, Dale was active in his home church. He found joy in working the dairy farm, playing the piano, raising Welsh ponies, and sharing his love for the Lord.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sons, Noah Jabez Cleghorn and Reuben Cleghorn; and his wife, Elinor, in 2024. Dale is survived by his children, Melody Dawn and Allen Melton (and their children, Hugh and Lilly), Dorothy Pappas, Donald Cleghorn, Heather and Lonnie Workman (and their children, Tyler, Brittany, and Robert), and Amber Kane; his siblings, Duane and Chrislei Cleghorn, and Dawn and David Duncan; and his very close friends who were like family, William and Brenda Osborn and their children, Nick and Katy, along with extended family and friends.