Nathan Lee "Nate" Dail

Nate Dail, the kind and gentle soul whose very existence gave witness to how were supposed to treat one another in this life, has died. It was July 6, just three days before his 48 th birthday, when that once joyful, crystalline twinkle slowly faded from his eyes. Those bright places, bathed in sunshine, where goodness and light normally dwell, have grown dim. The world is going to be a different place without Nate in it.

He fell victim to Early Onset Alzheimers disease, worsened by a deteriorating spinal cord that was progressively crippling him. In spite of this impossible combination of maladies, without exception, he continued to touch the life of everyone he encountered...everyone.

Nate, it was said, had an intellectual disability. In many respects, this disability gave him the gift of seeing the world around him clearly, in the simplest, purest terms, unfettered by personal bias or public opinion.

Most people wont remember Nate in the context of his disability in 2023 so much as they will remember him in the context of his ability a few years earlier as one of only four members of the 2010 Utah delegation in track and field, sent to represent Utah in the National Special Olympics in Lincoln, Nebraska. He returned to Utah with two gold medals and one silver medal.

While it may have been Alzheimers that took him down, it was not before he had accomplished 40-plus years as a Special Olympian and over 20 years as a TURN Community Services member. There will never be another Nate Dail. He reached beyond the bonds of disability and touched the hearts of those he met and the very souls of his family. Disability did not win today.

Nate is predeceased by his brother Patrick. He leaves behind his parents, Dan and Jill; brothers Tony (Angie) and Paul (Jennifer); three nieces and three nephews; aunts, uncles, and cousins; and countless friends.

The family has chosen to have a gathering with close friends to honor Nate. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to TURN Community Services in Cedar City, specifying that it should go to the Lighthouse Art and Learning Center. Online condolences can be sent to www.affordablefuneralservices.com.

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