Eliot-Dana Emerson Hale, 82, of Eliot, died unexpectedly on September 6, 2015 at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. He was born in Portsmouth, NH on August 8, 1933 the son of the late Herman and Phebe (Burrows) Hale. During high school, he joined the Naval Reserves. After graduating from Eliot High School, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he served for 27 years, retiring as a CWO-3. Dana was first stationed at the Lifeboat Station in Scituate, MA and on the Portland Lightship. A favorite duty station was as lighthouse keeper for Burnt Island Light off Boothbay Harbor, ME where the family developed a life-long love of lighthouses. He then went to the Boothbay Harbor and Biddeford Pool, ME Coast Guard Stations. The family moved to California in 1966 where he served on the USCGC Gresham which included deployment to VietNam. A move up the coast to Bodega Bay, CA followed where he was involved in many search and rescue operations. He decided to return to the east coast for assignments in Boston and the USCGC Sherman for weather patrols ranging from the North Atlantic to the Caribbean. Close to home, he was in charge of the Newcastle, NH station. A final assignment to St. Louis, MO where he traveled the western region, and where he retired in 1974. After retirement, Dana was the maintenance man at the Charter House Motel in Kittery, ME for many years (where he was paid to putter and rescued many cats) and then worked in the small appliances department at Sears in Newington, NH. Dana married his high school sweetheart, Carolyn Shapleigh, in December 1952. In addition to his wife Carolyn, he is survived by daughters Debra Hale and her husband Michael Weit of Newmarket, NH, Cathy Copadis and her husband Vasilios (Bill) Copadis of Anchorage, AK, and Karen Hale and her husband Brian Pritchett of Eliot, ME; grandchildren Alexander Copadis and his wife Aimee of Haslet, TX, Kimberly Chernikoff and her husband Curtis of Fort Bragg, NC, Katharina and Bradford Weit of Newmarket, NH, Dakodah Pritchett of Kittery, ME, Haley Pritchett of Eliot, ME; great-grandson Hayden Copadis and great-grandchild Chernikoff who will be arriving any day; his brother Allen Hale and his wife Ann of Kittery Point, ME. In addition to his parents, he was pre-deceased by his brother, Bruce Hale of Irvine, CA. Eliot Lions Club members were also part of the family as was his rescued lap cat Blackie. Dana was very civic-minded and was a member of the Kora Temple Shriners, the Masons, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion Post 47 (where he called Bingo for many years), the Eliot Congregational Church, and the Eliot Lions Club. Dana was a valued member of the Lions where he held every office and was a recipient of the Melvin Jones award. A memorial service will be celebrated on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 11 am in the First Congregational Church UCC, State Road, Eliot with Dr. Beth Hoffman officiating. In lieu of flowers, request donations be made in Dana's memory to Eliot Lions Club, c/o Hector MacKenzie, P.O. Box 166, Kittery, ME 03904. Online condolences may be made at www.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com.Care for the Hale family is entrusted to the JS Pelkey Funeral Home.