Dale Rex Shumway

Dale Rex Shumway passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, January 23, 2025, at his home in Tempe, Arizona with his daughter Debra by his side. He was 94 years old. Dale was born at his parents’ farm/ranch in Taylor, Arizona on the 31 st day of May, 1930. He was the fourth child and first son of V. Rex and Elizabeth Solomon Shumway. As a youth, his father counted on him to do a “man’s” work, and work Dale could do.

He attended Taylor Elementary School and Snowflake Union High School. After three semesters at Arizona State College, he was called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Western Canadian Mission which included the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. After returning from Canada, he married Naoma Fuller of Tempe, AZ in the Arizona Temple on April 10, 1952. They had met when Dale was attending Arizona State, and Naoma was a senior at Tempe High School.

After their marriage, Dale attended Brigham Young University for one semester and then returned to Arizona State where in 1954 he graduated with a B.S. degree in Agronomy. From 1954 until the fall of 1960, he was employed by Producers Cotton Oil Company in Maricopa and in Avra Valley.

In the fall of 1960, at the age of 30 (with a wife and five young children to support) Dale enrolled in the University of Arizona College of Law and graduated in 1963. He was employed as an Assistant Attorney General and as a Special Assistant for the State of Arizona until 1974. In 1965 he joined with David K. Udall to form the law firm of Udall Shumway in Mesa, Arizona. He became a highly respected attorney and was admitted to practice before the State and Federal Courts in Arizona, the Circuit Courts in San Francisco and the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Claims and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

In July of 1970 until 1974 Dale had the honor of serving as Mayor of Tempe, Arizona. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (now the Central Arizona Project) and in 1983 was elected to serve as President of the Board.

Throughout his life, Dale’s love for his Savior Jesus Christ was exhibited by his commitment to serve in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a bishop, Mission President in the New York Rochester Mission, Regional Representative of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, director of the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors’ Center, ordinance worker and sealer in the Arizona Temple and Patriarch in the Tempe Arizona University Stake.

Dale was pre-deceased by his dear wife Naoma. He so appreciated the influence she had on him and their five children. At the time of her passing in October 2023, she and Dale had been married for 71 years. This last year without her was Dale’s hardest trial in life. Dale was also pre-deceased by his parents, Elizabeth & Rex Shumway, his siblings, Ann (George) Woods, Shirley (Carl) Cole, Drew Shumway, Peter (Loretta) Shumway, his brother-in-law Wesley Bowman, and his great-grandson Joseph Thompson

Dale is survived by his five children: Debra Ann (Fred) Woods, Dale Rex II (Diane), Carolyn Ama (Barry) Dickerson, Catherine (Don) Ralph, and Matthew Fuller (Julie), his daughter-in-law Pattie Shumway, 22 grandchildren, 63 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

In addition to the above posterity, Dale is survived by his sister Mary Bowman, his brother Lane (Marylin) Shumway, his sister-in-law Joan Shumway Turley, many nieces and nephews, and countless dear friends.

Services will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 10:00a.m. at the Tempe Stake Center, 2707 S. College Ave., Tempe, AZ 85252. There will be a viewing at 9:00 a.m. To view the service remotely, please subscribe to the Alameda Ward YouTube channel at this link: https://www.youtube.com/@friendsofthealamedaward3748

As per Dale’s request: “Please don’t bring flowers to my funeral. Save your money for whatever good causes you might have. Just come to my funeral and enjoy seeing each other.”

Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com . Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.