MIDDLEBURY — John Fenton Dale, 61, of Middlebury, Vermont, passed away unexpectedly on January 8, 2020, at home. Beloved husband of Amy Rakowski Dale and devoted father to David Bennett; and stepfather to Mary Frances Conley of Oakland, California. John was predeceased by his parents, Mary (Krum) Dale and David N. Dale.
John was born and raised in Scituate, MA, where he graduated from Scituate High School in 1976. John joined a long line of family members and attended Middlebury College. He graduated from Middlebury  in 1980 with a BA in art history, and then received a Master’s of Architecture from the University of Virginia in 1982.
John worked as an architect in Washington, D.C., for Hartman Cox Architects managing residential and corporate design. For 16 years he was the senior manager at Allan Greenberg Architect (AGA). During his tenure at AGA, John managed high-end residential designs for clients in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Texas and California. One of his favorite projects and clients was a private home in Hartford, Connecticut, which became the largest residential home in New England.
In 2011, John and his family moved from Alexandria, Virginia, to Middlebury, Vermont, and John joined the design-build firm of Breadloaf Corporation. John managed many projects including the University of Vermont’s alumni house renovation and redesign, the town offices of Middlebury, Vermont History Center, Vermont Academy, and Northfield Mount Herman.
John was an active board member at the United Way of Addison County for many years where he served as board president in 2019. More recently he served at the board president for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Vermont chapter.
John was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying fly fishing, hiking and camping with close friends in Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho, skiing in Vermont with family and friends, and recently terrifying mountain biking rides with his son, David.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life at the Congregational Church of Middlebury on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 11 a.m., at 2 Main Street, Middlebury.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Institute of Architects Vermont chapter (note: scholarship fund), the United Way of Addison County, or to the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT).