Kumm, Dale Allen Age 59, of Fort Calhoun, NE. Born: August 25, 1959, Omaha, NE. Died: September 17, 2018, Omaha. Preceded in death by son, Kodiak; father, Kenneth F. Kumm. Survived by wife, Grace; sons, Andrew Kumm and John Miller, all of Fort Calhoun, NE; mother, Barbara Kumm of Harlingen, TX; mother-in-law, Lucille Kalvick of Mason City, IA; brother, Richard Kumm; aunt, Alberta Gray of Omaha; nephews, Timothy Nelson of Mason City, IA; Austin Nelson of Fort Calhoun, NE; nieces: Alya Morehouse of Valley, NE; Camara Kumm of Omaha; Kera Gomez of Mexico, City, Mexico; great-niece, Evelyn Arnold; many more nieces, nephews and cousins. VISITATION: 4-8pm Friday, September 21, 2018, at Fort Calhoun Presbyterian Church. FUNERAL SERVICE: 2pm Saturday, September 22, 2018, also at Church. Interment: Fort Calhoun Cemetery. In lieu of traditional remembrances, memorials are suggested to The Dale Kumm Family. SIEVERS-SPRICK FUNERAL HOME Ft. Calhoun, NE 402-468-5678 sieverssprickfuneralhome.com

#2-Published in the Enterprise September 21, 2018

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Dale Allen Kumm, 59, of Fort Calhoun, died Sept. 17, 2018, in Omaha. He was born Aug. 25, 1959, in Omaha.

Dale was preceded in death by his son, Kodiak, and his father, Kenneth F. Kumm.

Dale is survived by his wife, Grace; sons, Andrew Kumm and John Miller, all of Fort Calhoun; mother, Barbara Kumm of Harlingen, Texas; mother-in-law, Lucille Kalvick of Mason City, Iowa; brother, Richard Kumm; aunt, Alberta Gray of Omaha; nephews, Timothy Nelson of Mason City, Iowa and Austin Nelson of Fort Calhoun; nieces, Alya Morehouse of Valley and Camara Kumm of Omaha, Kera Gomez of Mexico City, Mexico; great-niece, Evelyn Arnold; and many more nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, at Fort Calhoun Presbyterian Church. Funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, at Fort Calhoun Presbyterian Church. Interment will be at the Fort Calhoun Cemetery.

In lieu of traditional remembrances, memorials are suggested to The Dale Kumm Family.

#3-Published in the Pilot-Tribune October 2, 2018

Dale Kumm and his wife, Grace, had just finished lunch Sept. 17 when Dale received a call. Grace said a friend had a flat tire, and Dale, always willing to help, drove them to assist.

But as Dale stepped out of his vehicle, he collapsed.

Grace said he was having a seizure and needed medical attention. Fortunately, someone was passing by and they were able to get Dale back in the vehicle.

"There was a passerby that had helped us lift him," Grace said. "He just stopped by and said 'You need help?' and just picked Dale right up."

If not for the Good Samaritan, Dale would have had to wait for an ambulance which, Grace said, she didn't know how long would take.

With Dale back in the car, Grace sped off.

A previous hospital stay

Before he collapsed that day, Dale spent over a month in the hospital. He was lethargic for days in late July, his son, Andrew, said.

"The day before he went to the hospital, he was kind of not responding to anything," Andrew said. "Then, the day we put him in the hospital, he was not responding whatsoever. He was just sitting in the recliner not doing anything."

Grace said she had a friend who is a nurse come over who suggested it might have to do with Dale's sugar level since he had diabetes.

"She told me to take his sugar level," Grace said. "It was 600, and his temperature was 104."

They called 911.

Grace wanted responders to take Dale to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha since that's where his personal doctor was located. Alberta Gray, an aunt, said his condition was too severe for the drive.

"They said that 'He needs to get medical help like now,'" Gray said.

Dale was taken to the closest hospital, CHI Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, with his family close behind.

"They got him stable enough to transport him then to (Nebraska Medicine), and that was all in one day," Gray said.

Dale spent that night in the intensive care unit.

"Then came the next morning and they said 'This is serious'" Grace said. "The thing is they didn't know right away what was wrong with him."

Doctors ran tests. The family waited.Four days later, a spinal tap diagnosed meningitis.

It took around two days, Grace said, before doctors determined the meningitis was related to West Nile Virus (WNV).

A prevalent virus

West Nile is a virus with no vaccine that infects the central nervous system. Most people, however, have no symptoms and less than one percent have symptoms as severe as Dale's, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Tom Safranek. However, Nebraska, especially the eastern part of the state, has seen excessive numbers of severe cases this year. Dale was in a group of more than 50 percent of Nebraskans with neuroinvasive WNV, which can cause meningitis.

Areas around Washington County have seen numerous WNV cases. Three Rivers Public Health Department has recorded 17 cases of WNV in Washington, Dodge and Saunders counties — nine have been neuroinvasive and two people have died. Three Rivers Disease Surveillance Coordinator Amy Roberts said there's no firm answer for the virus' prevalence this year.

Safranek offered a theory.

"Drought can mean mosquitoes and birds come into more frequent contact with one another potentially increasing the spread of the virus," he said. "Another has to do with immunity. West Nile Virus has occurred in western Nebraska year after year, so there could be a strong level of immunity in the population there. Eastern Nebraska may not have that same level of immunity."

Roberts and Safranek urge people to wear long sleeves, use bug repellent with DEET and avoid the outdoors during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes feed. Roberts also said to dump out standing water.

Grace and Gray said people should always be aware of mosquitoes because these recommendations aren't fool proof. Grace said there wasn't standing water outside their home in Fort Calhoun, but Dale was still bitten, ultimately sending him to the hospital.

Looking to recover

In the ICU, Dale was in a perilous situation. His temperature was so high doctors placed him in a medically-induced coma. Doctors also placed a cooling pad underneath of him and turned the room's temperature down significantly.

"It was cold in there, it was very cold," Gray said.

Grace, her voice trembling, said Dale was still "burning to the touch" and she couldn't help but think of her son, Kodiak, who passed away two years prior in an accident.

"Seeing him in this state was just devastating for us because he had always been the lead, the leader," she said. "Really hard to see him that way because, unfortunately, it reminded me when our son … Our son never regained consciousness, and with Dale in the induced coma, you know I couldn't speak to him. I couldn't do anything."

After nearly two weeks in the ICU, Dale was transferred to the Buffet Cancer Center, where Grace said overflow patients are placed.

Gray said the family was amazed with the care they received at the cancer center.

"They would take the family out in the hall, you know, and talk to you," she said. "Really let you know what was going on, which really, it really helped me."

Dale came out of the coma at the cancer center, but he was still disoriented. He didn't realize he was in the hospital and not at home, Grace said. Someone always had to sit with him so he wouldn't get out of bed.

After a few more dragging weeks of waiting, Dale's orientation improved and he regained consciousness. He was sent home after five weeks in the hospital but still had to attend rehab three times a week at Immanuel for physical, occupational and speech therapy.

"It's a whole body experience and a terrible experience," Gray said.

'A good person'

Dale completed physical therapy the morning of Sept. 17.

"He had aqua therapy that day," Grace said.

As she sped back to the hospital with Dale in the back seat, she heard him make a sound.

"That's when he took his last breath," Grace said.

He was 59 years old.

Dale's family said they want everyone to know how kind Dale was.

"He was a very caring individual, extremely caring," Gray said. "In fact, his mother lives in Texas and she came up, and when she went home, Dale had a talk concerned for her and her well being."

John, another son, said his father would be there for anyone who needed him.

"He was a good person," John said.

Grace said Dale showed how caring he was by coming to his friend's aid.

"That's what he was doing on his last day here on earth was helping somebody," she said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe online fundraising page in Dale's name to help with expenses.

Find a Grave Memorial # 193270943

~~~Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clipping on file at the Blair Public Library~~~