Dale Darnell Holbrook

DALE’S LIFE STORY We celebrate the life of Dale Darnell Holbrook who was born on September 7th, 1959 to his parents, Calvin Lee Holbrook, Sr. and Mollie Nairne Holbrook-Russell. Born in Salisbury, Maryland, Dale was raised in Mount Vernon, Maryland, in Somerset County. He was a graduate of Washington High School in Princess Anne, Maryland, Class of 1978. Dale joined the United States Air Force on January 9, 1986 and he separated from the Air Force on January 30, 1996. He re-entered the military via the United States Navy on March 15, 2001, serving until February 28, 2011. Between his services with the military branches, Dale served at Hillsborough River State Park in Tampa, Florida. He was a Park Ranger and served as a model for their uniform catalogue. During his military time with the Air Force, he served in Iraq as a part of the military campaign Desert Storm. He was a war veteran. Dale loved his military career and would always talk about his various adventures and the numerous countries to which he traveled. Dale was also appointed as a United States Navy Ambassador to Africa. Dale loved music and he had a beautiful voice; he was an avid and talented bass guitar player. While serving on the USS George Washington CVN-73, in 2003, he opened up for the Popular Rock Band, “Three Doors Down.” In his younger years, he was also a member of a local band called “Fantasia”, a band that played at a number of venues on the Eastern Shore, especially in Ocean City, Maryland. He leaves to cherish loving memories: his son, Duncan Dale Holbrook of Norfolk, Virginia; his mother, Mollie Holbrook-Russell of Salisbury, Maryland; his brother Calvin Lee Holbrook, Jr. of Martinsburg, West Virginia; his sisters, Angela Holbrook Barkley (Larry) of Somerset, New Jersey and Tina Holbrook of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; one cousin “brother” Vincent Cottman of Princess Anne, Maryland; one uncle, Dr. Wendell Patrick Holbrook of Jersey City, New Jersey; one aunt, Shirley Jolley (Robert) of Mardela Springs, Maryland and one special “aunt”, Jessie Burke Spence of Willingboro, New Jersey. Dale is also survived by: two nieces, Dayna Holbrook and Janay Barkley and two nephews, Devin Barkley and Larry Barkley, Jr. Dale’s great-niece is Mikayla Barkley and his great-nephews are Em’ry White, Dayon White and Cameron Barkley, along with a host of cousins, extended family and friends. Preceding him in death were: his father, Calvin Holbrook, Sr.; his paternal grandparents, Rendle and Marguerite Burke Holbrook; his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Cottman Nairne and maternal grandfather, James Edward Nairne; his uncle, Alvin Kenneth Holbrook and his aunts, Martharita Holbrook Deliotte, Joyce Nairne, and Marsha Saunders. SUBMITTED WITH DEEPEST SORROW ~ THE FAMILY

Dale Darnell Holbrook

September 7, 1959 - July 15, 2025