Della Pettrey Dale, 68, of 1035 Cliftwood Circle, Clifton Forge, Virginia, died Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at her residence.

She was born in Athens, West Virginia, on July 18, 1944, a daughter of the late Fred B. Pettrey, Sr. and Frances Evelyn Long Pettrey of Princeton, West Virginia.

She had been a resident of Clifton Forge since 1968.

She retired in 2000 as a school teacher and school administrator in the Clifton Forge City School System and the Alleghany Highlands School System.

At her retirement she was an assistant principal.

She was a graduate of Concord College and received her Master's degree from James Madison University. She was a member of the National Education Association, Virginia Education Association, the Alleghany Highlands Educational Association and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma.

She was a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church, where she had served has a choir member and Sunday School teacher.

She had fought Parkinson's disease for over 30 years.

In addition to her mother, Frances Evelyn Long Pettrey of Princeton, she is survived by her husband of 45 years, Donald L. Dale of Clifton Forge; a daughter, Erin D. Burns and husband, Jason of White Sulphur Springs, WV; 5 sisters, Margaret Akers, Rosemary Harry and husband, Marvin, Vivian Perry and husband, Burton, Bonnie Fleming and husband, Rick and Deborah Fleeman and husband, Chuck, all of Princeton; 4 brothers, Fred Pettrey, Jr. of High Point, North Carolina, Jerry Pettrey, Marvin Pettrey and wife, Lois, and Clarence Pettrey, all of Princeton; she is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews and special friends, Archie and Nancy Wells of Clifton Forge.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Larry Pettrey; a sister, Mary Elizabeth Pettrey; her maternal grandparents, Creed and Dora Long; and her paternal grandparents, Issac and Cora Pettrey.

A funeral service will be conducted Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. from the Immanuel Baptist Church in Clifton Forge with Pastor Bill Dillon and Rev. John Godfrey officiating. Interment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery, Clifton Forge. Active Pallbearers will be Archie Wells, David Thurston, Brad Day, Gary Johnson, Frank Persinger, Ron Thomas, Doc Thompson, and Monte Jeffries. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Nicely Funeral Home, 405 Alleghany Street, Clifton Forge.

The family suggests memorial tributes take the form of contributions to the Mountain Regional Hospice Volunteers, P. O. Box 637, Clifton Forge, Va. 24422.