Obituaries

Andrea “Andy” L. Dale, 82, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2026, in Niles, Michigan surrounded by her loving family.

Andy was born on February 4, 1944 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to the late Richard Giese and Magdalene (Rucoi) Giese, from whom she inherited a love of dancing, good food, and strong opinions.

Andy knew she wanted to be a nurse since she was 6 years old and ultimately achieved her goal after graduating from Holy Cross School of Nursing. She spent over 50 years as a Registered Nurse, with more than 30 of those years focused on Oncology, a field she was particularly passionate about. She ultimately retired from her career at Michiana Hematology Oncology at the age of 72. Andy was driven by her personal mission to ensure that medicine treated not only the disease but considered the patient as a whole person full of dreams, hopes and fears. Her passion for patient care was noted by all who engaged with her and she treasured every interaction, taking great pride in the cards, notes and small tokens of appreciation that patients and their families shared with her over the years.

Andy was curious about people and the world around her. She was a voracious reader, excited to share with anyone who would listen about the books she was reading and the lessons she learned from them. Her curiosity led her to travel, both internationally and domestically – endlessly fascinated by the beauty of the natural world and the different ways people lived. She loved museums, art galleries, theater and movies that could show her the wide variety of human expression. She was also equally interested in learning as much as she could about the people around her and would unabashedly ask new acquaintances about their lives. When she would invite the department store sales person to lunch with her after shopping, inquire about the motivation and meaning behind a restaurant server’s visible tattoo, or linger in a lobby discussing local politics with a small town innkeeper long after she had checked out of her room – she did it because she was genuinely interested in the lives and perspectives of everyone around her, no matter how fleeting their interactions.

Along with her parents, Andrea was preceded in death by her brother, Terry Giese.

Left to cherish the memory of Andrea is her loving husband of 57 years, Bruce Dale; daughter, Stacy Dale; son, Joel Dale, and her siblings, Larry Giese, Susan (Steven) Lash, and Mark (Kathy) Giese.

Andy’s years as a nurse had left her with strong opinions on death and dying, including a belief that memorials should be a time to celebrate the life of the person who has passed and not be dark or moribund affairs. Her family will honor that wish.

A Memorial Gathering for Andrea will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm with a time of sharing to take place at 2:00pm at Brown Funeral Home, 521 East Main St. Niles, Michigan 49120.

The family requests that visitors dress in their favorite summer clothes and avoid anything too dark or too funeral-appropriate.

Memorial contributions may be made out to American Cancer Society or Doctors without Borders.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home.