RICHARD W. "DICK" HALE, 72, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, with his family at his side after battling cancer for six months. Born in 1938, in Schenectady, N.Y, he was the son of the late Robert W. and Helen M. (Kubera) Hale. He moved to Fort Wayne at an early age. He retired as a captain from the Fort Wayne Fire Dept. in 1998 after more than 25 years of service. He was a member of the St. Joe Athletic Club, Angola Elks and was a winter resident of The Villages in Florida. He is survived by three sons, Jeffrey (Kim), Timothy (Fran) and Douglas (Karen); and three grandchildren, Charles (Audrey), Richard and Rachel. He was also preceded in death by his wife Charlene (Purner). Memorial service is from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010, at D.O. McComb & Sons Pine Valley Park Funeral Home, 1320 E. Dupont Road, Fort Wayne. Memorial contributions to Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum.