Dale Earl Drake of Middlebury Center, PA, passed away surrounded by his family at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA on August 26, 2026. Dale was born on October 28, 1948 in Middlebury Center at his family home. His wife of 51 years 1 month, Kimberly Webster Drake, survives. He is also survived by his sons Eric (Jennifer) Drake of Cortland, NY, Joel (Amy) Drake of Binghamton, NY and his daughter, Valerie (Christopher) Baltzley of Mansfield, PA. He is predeceased by a grandson, Kyle Matthew Drake, and his parents, Glenn and Mazie Drake of Middlebury Center, PA.Dale grew up in Middlebury Center with 2 sisters and 2 brothers, who all survive. As a pre-teen, he had a paper route to deliver “The Grit,” riding 20 miles a day through the back roads of Middlebury and Farmington Townships. His work ethic, drive, and determination was apparent in his approximate 45 year career as a ribbon machine operator at Corning Glassworks which became GTE which ended as Osram Sylvania in Wellsboro, PA. He held positions as an officer of the union while there and visited Las Vegas, NV with his wife for conventions.Dale enjoyed his 25-acre beef cow hobby-farm which included caring for the cows, baling hay, and occasionally taking in a pony or horse for his wife and daughter. He enjoyed gardening an extra large garden with plenty of weeds which eventually his son, Joel, helped to tame the weeds and harvest the most abundant crops. He enjoyed having fruit trees, grapes, and blueberry bushes on the land. He spent hours canning vegetables and freezing fruit or making grape juice. He spent a lot time in the woods cutting, loading, and moving firewood for the wood burning stove inside and eventually outside. Maple syrup season was another time to enjoy the woods. He and Joel would make trips around the woods to collect the sap buckets into a tank to take down the road to Mike Deats for boiling and finishing of the syrup.Dale was a man of many words and few words as time went on. If you knew Dale, you knew of his wife and children. He bragged often about their graduations from high school and college, their new jobs and better jobs, and their houses and apartments, and their weddings and then their children. He was just as proud of his grandchildren, Kelsey (great-grandchildren - Aria and Everleigh) and Logan Drake, Gage and Garrett Baltzley, and Clara and Lucille Drake. He enjoyed watching Gage and Garrett play soccer and especially baseball. From t-ball to varsity, he made it to every local game that he could. He traveled to Corning and to Cortland and to Binghamton to celebrate birthdays and graduations and everything in between.A private graveside service will take place at a later date. Condolences by mail are encouraged and appreciated. Arrangements are entrusted to the Carleton Funeral Home, Inc. www.carletonfh.com Wellsboro, PA.