La’Markus Bragg | Reporter
July 26, 2016; 11:30 a.m.

Lindenwood will host a ceremony Aug. 4 to remember the life of a former security officer who died unexpectedly this spring.

Dale Lauer, 66, was a St. Charles resident who worked for Lindenwood University’s Public Safety and Security for five years. He died May 13. Previously, Lauer worked as a convenience store manager for 15 years and at a national security company for one year.

Director of Public Safety and Security, John Bowman sad that Lauer was one of the best workers ever at Lindenwood University.

“Dale was a hard worker, he had a great personality, he was friendly to everyone,” Bowman said. “His customer service skills were out of this world.”

Lauer was awarded Employee of the Month in January 2014 when a student who relied on a wheelchair to get around campus was stranded on a snowy day. Lauer responded to the student’s request, picked him up, and the student was able to get back to his dorm.

“Dale saw he needed assistance without blinking an eye,” Bowman said. “He assisted him into the vehicle and drove him into where he was going. No one asked him to do that. He just saw that the student needed some assistance and took it upon himself to do that.”

Paula Stewart, Public Safety and Security’s Clear and Compliance Coordinator, also had memories of how Lauer made Lindenwood a safer place.

“When we would have a medical issue on campus, he would always make it appoint to make sure that all available officers would be there, and he would stand out up front to wait for emergency personnel, to guide them in the correct place that they needed to go,” she said.

Bowman said Lauer’s pleasant nature will be missed.

“He always had a smile on his face even if an assignment wasn’t a fun assignment,” he said. “He did the best he could. He always made it positive. I never saw him negative at all.”

A tree planting will be held in Lauer’s honor at 5 p.m. Aug 4 on the Memorial Arts Building side of the pavilion. Anyone with memories of Lauer is asked to submit them in writing to [email protected] by Friday. They will be bound and presented to his family at the ceremony.