I agree. I'm one of the Dale likers as well.
As for suicide, well, we've seen two attempted suicides, and at least two further successful ones (I may be forgetting someone).
Jim from season 1 was a maybe suicide. He had been bitten and they left him behind with a gun and a bullet... The guy from the CDC and the older black woman were the two I remember, as they went out with a bang. Andrea was an attempted suicide in Season 1.
I thought Dale was a good character as well.