Dale Ford, 81 of Elizabethtown, passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at his residence in Prospect, KY with his family by his side. He was a proud 1960 graduate of Elizabethtown High School where he was a basketball player, an all-state cross-country runner, and a member of the band Dale and the Dragons. He went on to attend Western Kentucky University where he enjoyed and excelled at the social aspect of college life a bit more than the classroom. He began working at the Coca-Cola Plant in Elizabethtown in 1963 and retired from there after 36 years of service. He held the position of Sales Manager for the company for many years and traveled throughout the United States making business contacts and life- long friends along the way. His smart, witty, and kind personality led to his success in this position. He never met a stranger. While working for the Coca-Cola Plant he developed his own generic soft drink line called Mr. Fizz that was sold in Wal-mart stores across the southern states. In the early 1990s he served the Elizabethtown community by being a member of both the first Christmas in the Park committee as well as the first Concert in the Park committee. He enjoyed watching Christmas in the Park grow each year and little did he know at that time that it would become a Christmas tradition for his future grandchildren. Being a country musician himself, he loved taking part in bringing country musicians to Elizabethtown such as Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Lee Greenwood, Trace Adkins, Aaron Tippin and many more. He was a talented singer and musician and could play every instrument he picked up. He played gospel music routinely at Central Avenue Baptist Church in the 1970s and 80s. He was also a member of the County Line Band in the early 1980s that played around Hardin and Nelson County. Dale was a supportive and loving husband, father, and the best Papaw a kid could ask for! Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Frances Jaggers Ford. Survivors include his wife, Christine Gault Ford of Prospect; five children, Stacey Lynn (Jeff) Prater of Elizabethtown, David Alan (Julie) Ford of Gresham, OR, Michael Andrew (Angela) Ford of Shelbyville, Karen Elnora (David) Herron of Prospect and Sarah Elaine (Andrew) Collins of Louisville; nine grandchildren, Hannah Ford, Donna Clark, Andrew Scheiba, Alexander Scheiba, Sophia Prater, Liam Nichols, Grace Ford, Gabrielle Scheiba and Charlotte Nichols and four great-grandchildren. The funeral will be Friday at 1 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home with Iris and James Cole officiating. Burial will follow in Hardin Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 10 to 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Epilepsy Foundation. Condolences may be expressed online at www.brownfuneral.com.

Visitation:

Friday, January 12, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Brown Funeral Home

Service:

Friday, January 12, 2024 starting at 1:00 PM
Brown Funeral Home