Del died November 26, 2013, at his home in Missoula. He was born in 1927 at the family homestead near Rye Creek, Montana. He served in the Army Air Corps from 1945-48 and later in the Air Force from 1951-53 as a Staff Sergeant. Del jumped at Missoula during the 1950 season. He began his career as a chemist at the pulp mill in Frenchtown in 1957, rose to the position of Production Manager, and retired in 1982.