Dale A. Rettke and
Sandra Rettke Nauman Endowment
Siblings, Sandra and Dale, had a friendship that will be remembered forever. Together they appreciated literature, travel, worship and made lifetime friends together. To memorialize this friendship, Sandra opened the endowment to keep their legacy strong by helping maintain and enhance the RUMC campus, as well as, help the Foundation flourish. It is with hope that their story inspires others to cherish their siblings throughout their life journey.
Honoring my brother…
“My brother Dale is a special person to me and in appreciation of him, this endowment was opened in his memory. While he was not a member of RUMC, every time he would visit, he enjoyed coming to RUMC with me. He also befriended many in our church community. This Endowment gives me the opportunity to honor my brother for the friendship he gave to me and the years of service to the church.” - Sandra
Supporting the Foundation…
“When the Foundation was new, I was asked to be the secretary to the Foundation Board, be a member of the Golf Committee, and maintain all the paperwork for the Golf Tournament. I did this for several years and was paid a small salary. My desire is that the Endowment not only reimburses the Foundation for that salary but also help to underwrite ongoing expenses for the Foundation.” - Sandra
Meet Dale Rettke
Dale A. Rettke grew up in Chicago, IL and had a sense of humor that brought pleasure to all who knew him. He loved traveling and he adored his little sister, Sandra. Although he never married or had children, he spent his life enjoying the extended family. He was the dear uncle of Diana & John Wilcher, David & Louise Nauman; fond great-uncle of Blaise Brockelbank, Brittney Brockelbank, Alexis Nauman, Ashley Nauman, Katarina Wilcher and Stephanie Wilcher. He retired from the former First National Bank of Chicago and was a United States Army veteran, Korean War. Dale passed in December 2007 at the age of 77-years old.
When Sandra was 12-years old, she expressed that she wanted to read books with more content. Dale suggested the book, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier. That started his sharing authors, books and even movies with Sandra. Sharing discussions on the literature would grow their friendship.
Dale served in the US Army during the Korean War. The military gave him the desire to see the world. Later, Sandra and Dale became world travelers together.
When Sandra's son enlisted in the army and was stationed in Germany, Sandra and Dale visited him. Not only did Dale want to see his nephew, he wanted to see more of Germany while he was there. And so the planning began. It turned out, Dale and Sandra were prefect travel companions. After that, approximately every two years, they would travel somewhere in the world together.