Warren Delmar Towell

just a week after his 80th birthday.

Del was born on December 7, 1933 at home in Tieton to Warren W. and

Elizabeth (Betty) Towell.

Del played football for and graduated from Highland High School, class

of 1951, and continued his football career at Yakima Valley Community

College.

He met Jan Clark at a slumber party in December 1950, they were

married on July 17, 1953 and made their first home in Yakima.

Their first child, Rod ,was born in August of 1954.

Del was drafted into the army and served in the 82nd Airborne, serving

in Germany.

After honorable discharge in 1957, Del went to work for the Ellensburg

Telephone Company. Their second child, daughter Liz, was born in 1961

in Ellensburg.

After eight years working in Ellensburg, Del transferred to Selah where

he worked until he retired in 1998. He started literally digging trenches

and climbing telephone poles, and then worked with Selah businesses

and homeowners. He was always the "telephone man" to the Selah

community.

After retirement the Towells moved to Yakima where they lived for the

past 14 years.

Hunting and fishing were Del's passions. He hunted alone, with his

father and his father-in-law, with his son and his wife, and with his

many, many friends. This passion took him on safari in Africa, to

northern Australia and to many parts of the United States. He was a

member and on the board of the Safari Club International.

During retirement Del and Jan traveled extensively together to Africa;

as well as Australia, New Zealand, all across Europe and Russia, and China

A longtime active member of the Selah United Methodist Church, Del

chaired committees, worked on innumerable projects and was for years

an usher each Sunday.

Del was known and loved for his dry sense of humor, his willingness to

argue on almost any subject, and his generous spirit.

Del is survived by his wife, Jan, of sixty years. He was predeceased by

his parents and by Rod and Liz.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. at the Selah United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Selah United Methodist Church or Safari Club International in care of Keith & Keith Funeral Home.

To celebrate Del and share a memory of his life, visit www.keithandkeith.com.