ALS Takes Life Of State Attorney Ober's Mother

TAMPA - TAMPA - Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober's mother, who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, died Saturday.

Maridale "Dale" Ober was 83.

For the past 14 months, Dale Ober lived in her son's home. She was hospitalized a few weeks ago.

Mark Ober said she was known for her quick wit, her impeccable handwriting and a deep intelligence that spawned from her love of reading.

"My mother never gave up and always encouraged us to be greatly educated," Ober said.

Ober is serving his second term as state attorney. His brother, Patrick, is a doctor. His sister, Susan, is a surgical technician.

Dale Ober was born in Wantage, England. She met her future husband after World War II and moved to Iowa. In 1962, the family moved to Tampa. Ober worked for years as a bridal consultant at Maas Bros. in University Mall.

In 2006, Ober's health began to show signs of problems, Mark Ober said. She began to clear her throat often and her voice became gravelly.

In February 2006, she was diagnosed with ALS. She had always spoken in an English accent. By April, however, her voice was gone, Mark Ober said.

Through it all, Mark Ober said, she maintained a sense of humor and left humorous notes for family and friends, scribed in her perfect handwriting.

As the disease progressed, her left side deteriorated. When she entered the hospital a few weeks ago, she could not stand without assistance, Mark Ober said.

In addition to her children, she is survived by a brother, Mike Goddard of Utah, and a sister, Mavis De La Hunt of Arizona; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Services will be private.

A Web site for the Mayo Clinic states that ALS is a neurological disease that attacks nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles. The disease progressively affects the muscles needed to move, eat, speak and breathe.

Doctors have not pinpointed the cause of ALS, and treatment often is limited to relieving symptoms as the disease progresses, the Mayo Clinic states. Patients diagnosed with ALS typically die of respiratory problems within three to five years, according to the clinic.

ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The Hall of Fame baseball player died of the disease in 1941. Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has ALS.

For information on ALS, go to mayoclinic.com/health/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/DS00359 or www.als-mda.org.