Dale Leroy Clemons died May 27, 2021 in Harbor Springs at the age of 81.
Beloved husband, father, grandfather (Papa), great-grandfather and friend.
Dale was born in 1939 in Midland, where he met his wife and lifelong love, Nancy. Dale decided early on to become a chef and he and Nancy opened their first restaurant, The Plush Pony in Flint.
A few years later they moved to their own newly built restaurant and continued to enjoy feeding and befriending their community at The Plush Pony until 1986. They moved to Harbor Springs and ran The Cupola breakfast room in their Harbor Springs Motor Inn. In 1991, they built their forever home which included a new Cupola restaurant that became a Northern Michigan gem and another source of great friends and irresistible breakfasts.
Dale’s zest for life and fun took him and Nancy many places. They enjoyed boating adventures on the great lakes with family and friends for almost 20 years. Dale also loved to garden, make a great meal, golf, ski, snowmobile, fish or join in hunting trips with friends. Dale was always there to brighten the room, tell a good story, make a joke, and have a laugh with a friend.
He is survived by his loving children Cyndi (Jerry), Dawn (Brian), and Penny (Kyle), and grandchildren Bernadette (Jon), John, Christopher, Drew, Merrick, Robbie, Jennifer (Tom) and Jeanette (Jose). He is also survived by many great-grandchildren, a host of friends, and his very special caregivers.
If you were lucky enough to know Dale, may his memory be a blessing.
A funeral mass will be held Friday, June 4 at 7 p.m. at Holy Childhood Church in Harbor Springs.
If you would like to make a memorial donation for Dale, his family suggests a donation to Hospice of Michigan (hom.org) or Manna Food Project (mannafoodproject.org).