Dirl Lynn Cole, age 71, of San Tan Valley, AZ passed into eternal life Thursday, February 21, 2019 in Mesa, AZ.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, February 26, with a viewing at 9:30 AM and service at 10:00 AM at Berean Baptist Church in San Tan Valley, AZ, followed by a 1:00 PM graveside service at the Globe Cemetery, in Globe, AZ. Funeral arrangements have been provided by San Tan Mountain View Funeral Home.
Dirl was born Dec 3, 1947 at the Miami-Inspiration Hospital in Miami, AZ to Marvin and Nola Cole. He was raised on Moonshine Hill in Inspiration, AZ. After graduating from Miami High School in 1965, he set off to attend Arizona State University (ASU) where he enrolled as an Army ROTC Cadet majoring in Education. It was at ASU that he met the love of his life, Karen E. Morey, of Superior, AZ. It was love at first sight, with Dirl giving Karen a thump on the head in Hayden Library the first time they met. They were married Sept 9, 1967 in Superior, AZ. Dirl graduated from ASU in 1970 with a BA Degree in Education, and minor in Mathematics. Having completed his ROTC training, he reported for active duty in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. He attended Signal Officer School in Fort Gordon, GA and was stationed at Fort Hood, TX- 39th Signal Battalion. In fall of 1971, Dirl was deployed to Vietnam. He was granted a short leave of absence in Feb of 1972 to be present at the birth of his first child, a daughter, Dorinda Manone. His home stay was short, and three days after her birth he returned to Vietnam. He completed his Vietnam tour and was as promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He was honorably discharged in mid-1972 after having met his active duty commitment. After his discharge he immediately obtained his first teaching position in Clifton, AZ as an Auto/Welding teacher for the 1972 school year. In March of 1974, Dirl and Karen were blessed with their 2nd child, a son, Dirl Markly “Mark”. The small family continued to live in Clifton until 1976 when Dirl found a teaching position working for the Superior Unified School District (SUSD). This allowed Dirl and his growing family to live closer to relatives. In November of 1977, Dirl’s 3rd child, Bryan Tom, was born. Dirl initially taught auto, welding and drivers education classes, however as computers and technology entered schools as well as having a heart attack at the age of 45, he transitioned out of classroom teaching to become Vocational Director and later Technology Coordinator for the school district. During his 30+ years of service to SUSD he was actively involved in coaching football, being the official timekeeper for football, basketball and wrestling, and attending multiple athletic events as his children attended school. He was involved in writing/applying for multiple grants and partnering with other school districts to obtain much need funds and programs to allow for students to have hands on experiences in multiple vocational and technology fields of study. In 1996, following the high school graduation of their youngest son and death of his father-in-law, Dirl and Karen moved to Claypool, AZ to be closer to aging family members. In 2005, Dirl started working both for the school district as well as for Cobre Valley Institute of Technology (CVIT) as the Program Director. After retirement from SUSD in 2008, Dirl and Karen moved to San Tan Valley, AZ to be closer to family in the valley. Dirl remained working for CVIT until 2012 when he fully retired.
Dirl was a devout Christian, a faithful and loving husband, father, son, son-in-law, brother, uncle and friend to many. He was a dedicated educator who enjoyed providing practical hands-on educational experiences within the vocational and technology fields of study to students of rural schools. From a young age he loved being outdoors and as an adult took advantage of summer times to not only to camp and fish with his family, but also to mentor/coach youth and young adults participating in the JTPA programs and ASU Camp Tontazona football camping experiences. His love for camping was passed down to his children and grand-children who enjoyed many summers together doing so in both Arizona and Washington State. In his spare time he enjoyed reading adventure novels, watching comedic military related movies/TV shows such as Kelly’s Heroes and M*A*S*H, and staying in touch with friends. He is dearly loved and will truly be missed.
Dirl is preceded in death by his wife Karen Cole-Jan 3, 2019; father Marvin Cole-May 5, 2000 and mother Nola Cole-Nov 19, 2017
Dirl is survived by his daughter Dorinda(Jim) Johns of Gilbert, AZ; son Dirl “Mark”(Janice) Cole of Cave Creek, AZ; son Bryan(Gina) Cole of Fife, WA; brother Coye(Paula) Cole of Washington, UT; sister Sue(Wayne) Asberry of Claypool, AZ and seven grandchildren: Amber, Katelyn, Connor, AnaSofia, LiliAna, Amelia, and John.