Getting to Know Mr. Dale

Full-service gas stations are few and far between, but at Lakeshore Mobil, Dale Omdahl is keeping the tradition alive.

Known by "Mr. Dale" on his nametag, the 82-year-old said gas stations have a long history in his family. He first started pumping gas as a 10-year-old boy at his uncle's gas station in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Gasoline continues to run through the veins of the Omdahl family tree via his sons Martin and Heino, who have owned Lakeshore Mobil station at 2521 Capitol Drive for about 20 years.

By running the full-service pump for the last three years, Omdahl said he has gotten to know a lot of people in the neighborhood. Shooting the breeze with customers is the best part of the job description for him.

"I've always liked talking with people, ever since I can remember," he says while waving to a regular customer.

The gas attendant gig is an opportunity for Omdahl to reconnect with people in the community after retiring several years ago at the age of 62. During his younger years, he served in the military, delivered packages for Boston Store and Gimbels and drove freight truck for Campbell 66.

Omdahl said he enjoys his new post-retirement job, which is especially helpful for seniors and disabled people. He said he is happy to pump gas for anyone that rolls through – even if he doesn't get a tip out of it.

"It keeps me out of mischief," he said. "You make some people happy by coming, and other people happy by leaving. Either way you’re batting 1,000."

Lakeshore Mobil is one of a handful of stations in the Milwaukee area that offer a full-service option. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently compiled a list of several other full-service gas stations in the area, including Appleby’s at 7501 Port Washington Road in Fox Point; Wauwatosa Gas at 8334 W. North Ave.; Voline Gas Station, at N. 69th St. and North Ave. in Wauwatosa; and BP at Sunny Slope and Greenfield in Brookfield.