Michael Dacy, Gregory

Retired Army Col. Michael James Dacy, 65, Gregory, died Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, in Sioux Falls.

He was born on June 9, 1947.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Gregory Memorial Auditorium. Burial will be in Burke Cemetery with full military honors.

Visitation will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home, Gregory. There will be a 7 p.m. prayer service Friday at the auditorium.

Mike was born in Tacoma, Wash., to Bill and Helen Dacy.

He was a member of the 1966 graduating class at Frankfurt High School in Germany.

From there, he attended the University of South Dakota, where he graduated with a degree in education and played football for the Coyotes from 1966 to 1970.

He would later receive his master in education from USD in 1981.

His 1968 football team was inducted into the USD Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2012 and as Mike would always say, “Number 87 in the program, Number 1 in your heart.”

After graduating from USD, he taught social studies, physical education and coached football at Burke, Chamberlain and Gregory high schools. His coaching achievements garnered him an all-time record of 146-66 and was twice named Regional Coach of the Year.

He was inducted into the South Dakota High School Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the football field in Gregory is now named “The Mike Dacy Field” in his honor.

Mike loved his family more than the world, but Gorilla and Coyote football were a close second. It was hard to find him wearing something that wasn’t red and white.

Shortly after moving to Chamberlain, Mike married the love of his life, Diane Frank, on May 15, 1976, from which they had two children, April Helen and Timothy Michael.

In the fall of 1979, the family moved to Gregory, where they would call home for the next 33 years.

Mike was the Gregory High School principal from 1981 until he retired in 2010 and was influential in the lives of many young students, parents and teachers across Gregory schools and community.

In addition to his education career, Mike gave 30 years of service to the U.S. Army National Guard, where he retired in 2001 as the commander of the 109th Engineer Group and the rank of colonel.

His military awards included the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, S.D. Distinguished Service Ribbon, S.D. Desert Storm Ribbon, Army Engineer Association’s de Fleury Medal, Army Commendation Medal (w/2OLC), Armed Forces Reserved Medal (w/ Gold Hourglass), National Defense Service Medal (two awards) and several other South Dakota awards.

He truly cared for the men and women in our armed forces and was proud of his service to our country.

To his friends and colleagues, he was a constant source of enthusiasm with a positive “can-do” attitude, who had an insatiable desire to enjoy life until his last breath. He walked the talk, as they say. To his family, he left behind a legacy built on integrity, loyalty and love and will truly be missed by us all.

He is survived by his wife Diane Dacy, Gregory; daughter and son-in-law, April and Chris Thomes, Victoria, Minn.; son and daughter-inlaw, Timothy Michael and Lindsey Dacy, Sioux Falls; brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Nancy Dacy, Chicago; and grandchildren: Madison, Grace, Kendall and Kinley; and lots of loving brothers-in-law, sisters-inlaw, nieces and nephews.

Mike was preceded in death by his father, William Dacy; and his mother, Helen Dacy.

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