Delia was born on February 15, 1927 in Burnett County, Wisconsin - the third child to Louis Wallich and Elsie Marie Glassel. She had an older brother, Harold, and sister, Inez. She was christened at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Loraine, Wisconsin on June 5th, 1927. She was also confirmed at this church on August 10th, 1940. She attended Mound Grade School in Polk County, going on to Cumberland High School in Barron County where she graduated in 1944. She then went onto Superior State Teachers College (now called University of Wisconsin - Superior). During her sophomore and junior years, she was the editor of the Peptomist, the bi-weekly publication of the college newspaper. In November of 1946, she won the distinction of being the first representative from STC to attend the national convention of the Associated Collegiate Press in Chicago, IL. She was editor in chief of the 1948 Gitchee Gumee, the school annual. Upon her graduation in 1948, with a BA degree in Journalism, she moved to Arvada (Jefferson County), Colorado - where she was employed at the Arvada Enterprise, a weekly newspaper.
She married Jess G. Carter, the love of her life on August 13, 1949 at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado and the couple then moved to Cosmopolis, Washington where Jess was employed in a grocery store. Delia took employment with the Aberdeen World, a daily newspaper. After one year, the couple decided to moved back to Arvada because they missed those Colorado blue skies so much. Delia went back to work at the Arvada Enterprise and in October of 1953, the couple moved to Westminster, CO where they have lived in the same home since.
Dee and Jess began raising a family with the birth of their first child, Christine. Later additions to the family were daughter, Diane, and son, Thomas. She supported her children's many activities; from baton, dance, art, drum and many more and was also active in their school PTA.
She became a member of the Peace Lutheran Church of Arvada on August 29, 1956 where she was a co-librarian and an editor of the monthly church newsletter for a number of years. After women were granted suffrage in her denomination, she held the distinction of being the first woman voter of the Peace congregation!
In May of 1967, Delia became a writer and reporter for the Westminster Journal, a position she held until the paper became merged with the Free Dispatch, under the ownership of Cowles Publications of Minneapolis in April of 1972. She then joined the public relations staff of the University of Denver in May 1972, as a staff writer. She was also employed at Lutheran Family Services in downtown Denver and was a writer and editor of the monthly newspaper, the Capital Horseman of Arvada. Later, in 1979, she was employed by the US Federal Government at the Bureau of Reclamation and then in 1980 to Lowry AFB where she worked for the Visual Information/Calibration Division, US Army Element, as an editorial assistant. In 1987, she became a Technical Publications Editor until retiring in 1993.
In addition, on January 12, 1971, she was appointed by the City of Westminster as a member of the library board, a position she fulfilled until February 1, 1989, some 18 years, serving as a chairman in 1985 and 1986, In 1989, the Mayor of Westminster proclaimed March 6, 1989 as "Dee Carter Day," in the city of Westminster. She was also a member of the Westminster Homeowners Association.
Dee was passionate about gardening, enjoying hot air ballooning, and hiking the many mountains of Colorado, including the Continental Divide Trail (with Wild Women, Ramblers). An interest in history became an appetite for Genealogy and she became a joint chair of the German Interest Group, Colorado Genealogy Society in 1985.
The arrival of grandchildren, Jeremiah and Daniel, signaled fishing, soccer games, and special times spent with each one.
She is survived by her three children; Christine (Kenneth) Kahler of Thornton, CO, Diane M. Carter (Darrell Willard) of Salem, VA, and Thomas J. Carter of Brighton, CO; grandchildren, Jeremiah (Becky) Kahler of Fort Lupton, CO, and Daniel (Katie) Kahler of Eaton, CO. Preceding her in death is her husband, Jess G. Carter (2011), daughter in law Jeanne Carter, her parents, Louis and Elsie Wallich, brother Harold, and sister Inez; all of Wisconsin.
In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Delia's honor to Lutheran Hour Ministries at www.lhm.org
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18