Dale’s Story

Site created on August 10, 2022

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


Mid July 2022, routine blood work showed some moderate changes to Dale's current diagnosis of MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome) that indicated a cross over to Leukemia.  Since then, Dale has been doctoring through the Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, ND with Dr. Gross for CMML (Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia).  He started his first round of oral chemo therapy early August 2022.  


Dale is currently waiting on a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) consultation -also known as a Stem Cell Transplant- at the UofM in Minneapolis.  This consultation will indicate whether or not Dale is a candidate for a transplant, which would be the only treatment that could result in a cure.  Without a BMT, Dale's chemotherapy would be supportive (meaning it would try to get his bone marrow under control but would not cure the disease).


At a late August 2022 appointment with Dr. Gross, the idea of inpatient chemo therapy was brought to the table.  This would be a significant escalation in the aggressive nature of his regimen.   We pray for strength for Dale (& Sue!)  and for capability of the the medical teams.  

Newest Update

Journal entry by Dale Pepelnjak

It’s with incredibly heavy hearts that we share that Dad passed away peacefully in the late evening of Thursday, March 14th, surrounded by our family.

We knew on Thursday morning that Dad was nearing the final turn of his journey, as his body was struggling to fight off multiple infections, overloading his heart and lungs.  We were able to keep him comfortable through the day, giving us a chance to spend time with him, sharing with him how much we loved him.  He was able to see each of his nine beautiful grandchildren.

We cannot express how thankful we are for the constant love, support and prayers you have given our family through this entire journey.  We are thankful for the millions of miracles our loving God gave us as Dad defied the odds to spend extra time with us.  We know we will see Dad again.

We will celebrate Dad this upcoming week with the following services:

  • A Prayer Service will be held at Zion on Tuesday, March 19th at 6:30pm. with Visitation from 5:00 to 6:30pm.
  • The Celebration of Life Service will be on Wednesday, March 20th at 11:00am with visitation one hour prior to the service.  Lunch will be hosted by our family and the Women of Zion immediately after the Celebration of Life Service.  

Many have asked how to celebrate our Dad.  He requested that any monetary donations be made to one of the following, meaningful missions.  Each of these were greatly cherished by Dad.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your steadfast love and prayers.  We have felt it every step of the way.

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