Dale F. Baines “Whaler”, longtime resident of Curry County, passed away February 24, 2023 at his home in Brookings,
Oregon, surrounded by his loved ones after a short battle of stage 4 brain cancer. Dale was born on May 18, 1952, in
Sacramento, CA, to Vern and Marie (Barclay) Baines. At the age of 13 his mother and stepfather Leland Holmes moved the family to Gold Beach. There Dale attended and graduated from Gold Beach High School in1971. Soon after, he was drafted into the Army and honorably discharged in 1974.
Dale loved to fish from a young age; you could find him on a creek, river or working on charter boats during the summers, so it was not surprising he became a commercial fisherman. In 1976 he bought his first F/V, the TAKU, a small salmon trawler from which he fell overboard while fishing by himself off Eureka CA. Thankfully the Lord was not ready for him and saved him so that he could marry Mindy Payne on September 26, 1987. Dale spent many years working on others’ boats, until May 2003 when he and his wife purchased the F/V Innisfree. Dale enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson with friends and traveled to Sturgis a few times. Dale loved to cook and to have friends and family over for dinners.
Dale leaves behind wife Mindy and their three children Brad, Kylie and Rhyan Baines, four grandchildren Maximus, Pania and Hattie Baines and Rhyan Philpott. Dale is also survived by sisters Nancy Russell and Lisa Braem and brother Jeff White.
A celebration of Dale’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday July 22, 2023, at the Brookings Elks Lodge, 800 Elk Drive Brookings, OR. A potluck reception will follow at the Lodge. Condolences may be expressed online at www.redwoodmemorial.net
