Dale T. Zukaitis

Canandaigua: After a brief and courageous battle with cancer, passed away on Tuesday, August 25th at age 77. Dale was predeceased by his mother, Matie LeBoo. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Elaine Zukaitis; children, Elan (Charlie) Bergman and Dale (Laura) Zukaitis, Jr.; grandchildren, Donato (Hayley) Manzler, Francesca Manzler, Eric Manzler, Jr., Lucia Zukaitis, Nico Zukaitis, Ethan Hart, and Ella Hart; great-grandson, Guy Morse III; sister, Sheryal Volpe; many nieces, nephews, and dear friends including his lifelong “buddy”, Don Collins (Fuzz), who was like a brother to him and could tell thousands of stories about Dale no one else would ever know.

Dale served in the U.S. Army from 1965-1969, was a longtime employee of the U.S. Postal Service, and retired in 2004. During that time, he was also a general contractor and owned his own construction company, bringing the same drive and hands-on creativity to that work. His second career was with the Town of Canandaigua, where he spent 16 years as Code Enforcement Officer.

Dale lived life fully and, more often than not, exactly the way he wanted to. He worked hard, played hard, and never felt much need to do things the conventional way. He was creative in just about everything he touched from building houses, painting the bottom of the pool for his grandkids each summer, countless tile jobs, and turning ordinary projects into something with his own mark on it. He loved golf, playing cards, yearly trips to Hollywood, Florida, and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and being wherever there was a good time to be had. Dale also had a gift for telling a story. Sometimes the details got a little bigger, the punchline got a little better, and the version you heard depended on the day-but that was part of the fun.

He was a “Cool Dude” who will be remembered as a true original: creative, stubborn to the end, and always fully himself.

The family wants to extend a special thanks to the visiting nurses and staff from UR Medicine Hospice.

There will be a Private Family Service in the Chapel of Woodlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 3rd from 12-3PM at the Fallbrook House at Canandaigua Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to UR Medicine Hospice, 2180 Empire Blvd., Webster, NY 14580 [Donate Online], or the Golisano Children’s Hospital, 300 East River Road, P.O. Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627 [Donate Online].