Dale (Bud/Buddy) Rackley

Dale was born on October 22, 1957, the youngest boy (also a twin) of six children in Sheffield, Alabama to Lewis and Dona Rackley.

As a child and through his teens, he loved and played baseball as well as church basketball. However, when it came to sports, his love was truly Alabama’s Crimson Tide. Roll Tide Roll!

At the age of nineteen, Dale enlisted in the United States Air Force, and after serving eight years, received an Honorable Discharge.                                

In 1986 Dale moved to the Sacramento area. There he met his soon-to-be sweetheart, Julie Willis, at a church dance. In 1987 they were sealed in the Oakland Temple. Together they raised his eight-year-old daughter, Tonya. Tonya was sealed to them on December 22, 1990.

Dale was very proud of his southern heritage. He loved to talk about his growing up years in the south and listen to and read stories of his ancestors. When asked: What makes you the proudest? His answer was always: “Being a Rackley.”

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dale faithfully served in many callings, Mission Leader being his favorite. Working with the missionaries made him feel that he served the mission he wasn’t able to serve when he was nineteen.

Dale was especially proud that at the age of fifty-five he took on-line courses and earned an Associate’s Degree in Business. He was also invited to join the Honor Roll Society, ‘Sigma Alpha Delta’ which he was a member of for two years.

Dale passed away peacefully in his home in Orangevale on Saturday morning, September 4, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Julie, and his daughter, Tonya (Todd) Romp. He was blessed with three grandchildren that he loved so very much, Janice, David, and Anna, as well as a beautiful great-granddaughter, Autumn. He is survived by his two sisters, Shirley Haskew and Peggy (William) Roth, and his brother, Howard (Alice) Rackley, as well as many nieces and nephews he watched grow up.

Preceded in death are his parents, Lewis and Dona Rackley, his brother, David Rackley, his twin sister, Gayle Rackley, and his nephew, Korey Kumulian.

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure”

A special thanks to our friends and family who reached out to Dale during his illness with thoughtful FB messages, phone calls, and cards that truly lifted his spirits. 

We also thank the kind and compassionate nurses with Kaiser Hospice that we refer to as Angels. 

Memorial Service for Dale Rackley

Thursday September 23rd at 11:00 am 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Deseret Ward building)

8267 Deseret Avenue, Fair Oaks, CA

A private interment will be held at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dale (Bud/Buddy) Rackley, please visit our floral store.