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Warren amputee who helped others with disabilities died of COVID-19

Detroit Free Press - 2/28/2021

This obituary is part of “We Will Remember,” a series about those we’ve lost to the coronavirus.

Dale Stern, an amputee from Warren, used his talents to help design handicap-accessible vehicles and prostheses before he was laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The computer-aided design engineer died at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak on Nov. 21 after becoming ill with the coronavirus.

Stern, 47, was a graduate of North Farmington High School who returned to school in his 30s to create a better life for himself and his daughter, according to his brother Andrew Stern. He earned an associate degree in CAD Design and a bachelor's degree in construction management from ITT Tech.

Stern, who lost his left leg below the knee to diabetes in 2017, loved Mustangs and enjoyed working on them. He had just completed building a 1988 Mustang when he lost his leg and could no longer drive a manual transmission. He was forced to sell the car after driving it only once.

“He had the gift of gab and could make friends wherever he went,” said Andrew Stern, who recalled that his brother loved music, live concerts and meeting people. “He was never content sitting around.”

Stern found out he had COVID-19 on Oct. 31. He was lethargic and had a headache that grew so intense he asked his older brother to take him to the ER. He was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed until his death.

Stern leaves to cherish his memory daughter Dena; siblings Aric, Andrew and Samantha, and his former wife, Terra Letzer.

If you have a family member or close friend who has died from COVID-19 and you would like to share their story, please visit our memorial wall and select “Share a story.”

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Warren amputee who helped others with disabilities died of COVID-19

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