On Saturday, Sept.12, 2026, Rodger (Dale) Shoemaker peacefully passed away in Manistee, Michigan, at the Manistee Medical Care Facility. He was the son of the late Grace (Ten Brink) and Ervin Schoenmaker. Dale was 90 years old.

 Dale was born in Saugatuck, Michigan, on April 30,1936, and grew up there alongside his multiple siblings, cousins, and extended family. When he was 19, he was hired as a wrangler at Jack and Jill Ranch in Shelby, Michigan; there he met his future wife, Laura who worked at the ranch as a waitress. The two fell in love and were married in 1958. In 1962, they moved to Manistee, where Dale became the trainer and manager of Lake Bluff Arabians stables on Lakeshore Rd. They made their home there for the next 63 years, raising three daughters, and making a life filled with friends and adventures. 

Dale was a cowboy at his core and was rarely seen without his cowboy hat and boots. His passion for horses was reflected in his showmanship and teaching; he was known for sharing his equine skills with others, and providing horse care as a farrier to horses from Manistee to Ludington to Traverse City, and everywhere in between.

 He was a true nature lover, and spent endless hours outdoors no matter the season. He loved walking the Lake Michigan shores in search of Petoskey stones, foraging in the woods for morel mushrooms, and playing his guitar around a campfire with friends and family. He was a skilled leatherman and artist, who enjoyed endless time in his shop, making saddles, bridles, and other fine leather goods. He was an explorer, and he and Laura enjoyed many cross-country road trips by car and motorcycle.

  In their retirement years, winters were spent in Cedar Key, Florida, with their beloved Sunset Point Campground family, where Dale was camp firebuilder, fire tender, and all-around handy man. Dale’s final months were spent at the Manistee County Medical Care Facility, along with his wife. He built yet another family there with all of the attentive caregivers who loved brewing him late-night cups of coffee and sharing a chat and a snack in the fireplace room while listening to country music. He was a dedicated family man and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He was known as a kind-hearted person, who was always there to lend a hand. He lived fully and authentically, and was deeply loved by those who knew him.

 Dale was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Diane Murphy. He is survived by his siblings, Esther Kruidoff, Carole (Marlin) Cook, Dennis (Cindy) Schoemaker, and Danny (Marsha) Schoemaker, his wife Laura Shoemaker; three children, Dawn Gorman, Amy Stewart, and Jody Shoemaker; four grandchildren, Olivia (Florencio) Beltran, Nora Gorman, Tyler Minster, and Jonah Stewart; one great grandchild, Drayton Rankin, and numerous brother- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

 A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations can be made to the Manistee County Medical Care Facility in Dale’s name.