Dale S. Tofte, age 71, of Volga, died Sunday, August 22, 2004, at the Brookings Hospital in Brookings, South Dakota, after a courageous battle with cancer. Funeral services will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, August 26, 2004, at First Lutheran Church in Volga, with interment in the church cemetery. Visitations will be from 5-8 P.M. Wednesday at First Lutheran Church. Dale Stanley Tofte was born September 26, 1932, at his grandmothers home in rural Brookings, South Dakota. He was the son of Edward and Selma (Dahl) Tofte. He was baptized and confirmed at Sterling Lutheran Church and First Lutheran Church in Brookings. He received his elementary education at Brookings District No. 2, and graduated from Brookings High School in 1950. On July 17, 1954, he married Donavieve Dahl. The couple farmed in Oslo Township near Volga. They moved into Volga in 1985, and Dale continued farming until 2002. Dale and Donnie celebrated 50 years together in July. Dale was an active member of First Lutheran Church in Volga. He served as president of the church council, trustee, usher, and as a youth mentor. He served on the building committee for the new fellowship hall, and especially enjoyed attending the Saturday morning mens Bible study. He served his community in many ways, including as a member of the Sinai Co-op Board for 20 years, the Brookings County Soy Bean Board, the Volga Co-op Oil Company, the Ampride board, and Volgas low-rent housing board. He loved farming and collected toy tractors. He enjoyed having coffee with friends, spending time with his children and grandchildren, and making homemade ice cream and lefse. Blessed for having shared his life are his wife, Donnie, of Volga; three children: Gwen (Dallas) Olson, of Plymouth, Minnesota, Richard Tofte of Mankato, Minnesota, and Thomas (Fran) Tofte of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; three granddaughters: Andrea Olson, Alyssa Olson, and Holly Tofte; two sisters-in-law: Ardys (Gene) Brandt of Chandler, Arizona, and Margaret Tofte of Brookings; nieces and nephews; and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers: Carold and Donald; and a sister-in-law, Maxine.