Della Jane Cable

Born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on September 15, 1926, Della was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Cable, a Naval veteran, and her eldest daughter, Judy Chambers.

She is survived by her daughter Jerri, her youngest brother, Dean, five grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.

Della spent much of her childhood in a lovely, majestic home on Fir Mountain, Oregon. Due to the gas rationing during World War II, and the fact that her father’ s chiropractic office was so far away, the family moved two hours away to Hood River. After the move, she was captain of the Hood River War Bond sales team, which sold the most war bonds of all the local teams.

Della studied at the University of Oregon, receiving her bachelor’s degree at the same time as her mother received hers. She also studied at Central Washington University and completed her master ’s in Speech and Language Pathology at Ellensburg Central College. She went on to teach at Yakima Valley College, the Yakima school district, and spent several years serving as the principal of an elementary school.

During her time with the Selah School for special needs children, Della developed a program for teaching deaf and blind children to communicate. She traveled up and down the Pacific Coast teaching the program, as far north as Canada; and for her outstanding work and service, she received considerable recognition and many awards.

After moving from Fir Mountain to Hood River Della met her future husband at Hood River High School. She recalled that on their first date, Henry – who had joined the Navy at a young age – was “so very handsome, dressed in his Navy uniform when he came to pick her up. ”

While Henry was home on a three-day leave from deployment on the Navy cruiser USS Pensacola, Della and Henry were married in her family home on June 1, 1945. They were married for over 65 years. They began their wedded journey in the student housing complex at WSU (then WSC) in Pullman, WA, where Henry was enrolled as a recipient of the GI Bill. Upon his graduation, Henry and Della moved to the Yakima Valley, where he had gained his first job in the Wapato School District. It was there that they raised their two daughters, Judy and Jerri.

Henry was an industrial arts teacher and a gifted craftsman builder, and together with other friends Della and Henry transformed a small house in Union Gap, WA, by adding a lovely chapel that is still used for church services. They faithfully served with their church community for many years and supported mission work abroad. Della and Henry also generously supported their daughters’ far-reaching work, as Judy and Jerri shared their love and passion with underprivileged children around the world.

Della was gifted with artistic spirit, talent, and creativity; during her life she mastered the piano, wrote music and poetry, and sketched, drew and painted works of art that have been shared among and treasured by her family and friends. She was beloved by her family, responsible for creating lasting memories and experiences – not least the bi-annual Barney Family Reunion in the Little River Christian Camp, east of Roseburg Oregon, that continue to this day.

Della and Henry researched the Jones and Cable family histories at the Mormon archives leaving behind a legacy of historical photo albums and lasting memories contained in the albums that are treasured and still used by the family today. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Della’s life by making a donation in her name to the St Jude's Children’s Hospital.