Del, 96, died July 3, 2014. He was born June 28, 1918, in New Hampton, Iowa, and a member of the Brethren Church. He was a teacher at the time he was drafted into the Civilian Public Service in November of 1942. After serving at two camps, he reported to Seeley Lake in 1943 and was among the first 60 men from the CPS to be trained for the smokejumper program.

Del jumped all three seasons (1943-45) of the program before being discharged in December of 1945. His educational records show bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees and that he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Ithaca College, and New York State University. He spent many years living in Germany. (His bio was written in German so this was the best we could do for Del. Ed.)