Col. Dale Tazwell Wells, Sr, passed away peacefully at home on April 17, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on the family farm in Paris, TN on December 12, 1928. He was raised in Memphis, TN. He will be sadly missed by his survivors which include his wife, Doris Tate Wells, his children, Dale T. Wells, Jr. (Gail), Barbara Gale Wells, Deborah Dufrene (Eddie), four grandchildren Dale T. Wells, III (Cortney), Christopher Wells, Heather Dufrene, Kevin Dufrene (Ashley), five great grandchildren, and his four-legged best friend Miss Betty. He was preceded in death by his wife Thelma Shoults Wells in 1996 and his son Robert Allen Wells in 2002.

Dale attended Memphis State University before following his military career. Serving as a military intelligence office before retiring with the rank of Colonel, he worked for many years as an insurance investigator for Retail Credit Company which later became Equifax. He owned and operated Tri-State Services, a private detective agency in Memphis, following in the footsteps of his uncle Homer G. Wells ("The Bloodhound Man"), After his retirement, he enjoyed helping many bereaved pet owners with services at Dixie Memorial Pet Gardens, working there until his lung cancer diagnosis in 2009 at the age of 80.

Dale devoted his life to his family, his country, and his community. He coached Little League baseball for 10 years with his sons, while spending many hours at the Circle W Ranch with horses and ponies for his daughters. His favorite pastime was fishing with his father and brother, and then with his sons, grandsons, and great grandsons. He was actively involved with The Whitehaven Civitan Club, the Lions''s Club, the Reserve Officers Association of West TN, the Intelligence Officers Association in Memphis, the American Legion, and the Military Order of World Wars Chapter in Memphis. As an active Army Reserve officer, he was originally commissioned as a military police officer, later serving as commanding officer of the 836th Military Intelligence Detachment, assistant commandant of the 3291st US Army Reserve School, and commanding officer of the 409th Military Intelligence Detachment (SIRA). He was a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Defense Intelligence School. He held the rank of Lieutenant General and Commanding General of the 3rd Confederate Strategic Intelligence Brigade of the Confederate States of America, a nationally known military historic organization.

Family will receive friends Wednesday April 20, 2016 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM with funeral with military honors to follow on Thursday April 21, 2016 at 10 AM at Forest Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery Midtown Memphis, 1661 Elvis Presley Blvd.

Forest Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Midtown
(901) 775-0310