Robert Arthur DeLap was delivered safely
home on Feb. 24, 2015, after a long and remarkable life.
 Born May 14, 1923, in Sioux City, Iowa, Bob was raised
together with his older brother George by his mother, Lillian Vanvick, in a
family home that also included his grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins.
As Bob started college, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the
U.S. entered the Second World War. With guidance from his Lutheran pastor,
Rev. L. E. Tallakson, Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army,
but was allowed to continue his education at Augustana College (Sioux Falls,
S.D.) for another year and a half. He was then assigned to the Army
Specialized Training Program for technical training in the Army Air Corps.
During this program, he studied chemistry, taught by his future
father-in-law, Professor J.H. Jensen, at Northern State Teachers College (now
Northern State University) in Aberdeen, S.D.; and Bob met his future spouse,
Marjorie Lucille Jensen.
Because of increasing Army needs for infantry, Bob was
subsequently sent to Camp Maxey in Texas for training. His unit, the 1267th
Combat Engineers, served with the 23rd Corps in Germany near the end of the
war in Europe, building bridges to help supply the Allied Army and provide
relief to starving people in Germany during mop-up operations.
In mid-1945, Bob's unit was sent to the Philippines to
maintain roads on mountains near remaining Japanese holdouts. Bob was
discharged and returned home in the spring of 1946.
Bob and Lucille were married on June 27, 1946. After
completing his college studies at Augustana followed by graduate work in New
Mexico, Bob joined The Dow Chemical Co. in Midland as an analytical chemist.
He worked at Dow from 1949 until his retirement in 1982.
Over their years together, Bob and Lucille provided a
loving home for their five children, Amy Jendrzejewski (Andrew), Robert J.
DeLap (Linda), Patricia Fineman (Robert), Ronald DeLap (Donna Marie) and
Elizabeth Lenington (Kenneth). Bob and Lucille were faithful members of
Trinity Lutheran Church. Continuing to reside at their home in Midland in
retirement, they enjoyed many activities together, including walking,
bicycling, cross country skiing, bridge and square dancing. Bob also enjoyed softball
and bowling in his younger years, and was a regular golfer with other Dow
retirees for many years.
Lucille passed away on June 22, 2011, having been tenderly
cared for by Bob through her final illness, with help from daughter Patricia.
Patricia also lovingly attended to Bob's care when he resided in Haslett,
Mich., as he came to the end of his time in this world.
Bob and Lucille are survived by their five children;
twelve grandchildren, Ingrid Jendrzejewski, Rachel Jendrzejewski, Margaret
DeLap, Benjamin Fineman, Matthew DeLap, Andrew DeLap, Rebekah Zuniga, Micah
DeLap, Sarabeth Deter, William Deter, Neal Wagner, Eric Lenington; and 11
great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Bob will take place 11 a.m. Friday,
Feb. 27, 2015 from the Trinity Lutheran Church, with Pastor Gerald Ferguson
officiating. Interment will take place in the Midland Cemetery at 2 p.m.,
with military honors presented by the Midland Area Veterans and the U.S.
Department of the Army.
Bob's family will receive friends at the church on Friday,
from 10 a.m. until time of the service. Those planning an expression of
sympathy are asked to consider the Trinity Lutheran Church or the donor's
favorite charity. Funeral services have been entrusted to the care of the
Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Home.
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