Del was preceded in death by his loving wife of 37 years, Betty Jean Halker also of Yakima, WA, his sister Phyllis Adler (A.D.) of Yakima, his brother Howard (Ardus) Halker of Elwood, Nebraska, his grandson, Joseph Weins of Yakima, WA, nephew Douglas Adler of Yakima, WA, and by many friends. Surviving relatives include a brother, Carl Halker (Marilyn), of Edina, MN, his daughters, Liz Fieldstead (Tom) and Susan BarnesNebeker and son James Barnes all residing in Yakima.
Del loved and was dearly loved in return by all his friends too many to name, and family including his nieces and nephews, Cheri Adler-Birkby, (Marvin) of Yakima, WA, Teresa Seibert (Henry) of Summer, WA, Brad Adler of Ballard, WA, Bruce Adler of St. George, UT, Marie Adler of Ballard, WA, Dan Larson (Cathy) of ME, Shelley Mallon (Dean) of Indiana and Stan Winkenwerder of Richland, WA. He was also loved and admired by his grandchildren Jennifer & Chuck McCracken of Vancouver, WA, Debbi Chufo (Bryan) of Okatie, SC, Jill Farman of Moses Lake, WA and Elizabeth Weins of Yakima, WA. Del was near and dear to his seven great-grandchildren: Tori and Kaiti Allen, Elijah Sappenfield, TJ and Riley Farman, Cathryn McCracken and Michaela Chufo.
Mr. Halker, who was well-known for loving life, was a master storyteller with a witifully dry sense of humor. He entertained many of us with stories of his event-filled life experiences. He was born to Alvin and Ina Mae (Inez) Halker on June 3rd 1922 in Elwood Nebraska. In school he enjoyed hunting and playing basketball, baseball and football, lettering in all three sports.
He was a Marine Corps Veteran of WW-2; enlisting and deploying from Denver, CO on Nov. 2nd 1942 and fighting in three major assault landings in the South Pacific; landing in March of 1943 on Kwajalein Island, spending the next 60 days in Saipem before landing in Guam in May of 1943. He then spent 2 years between Guam, Guadalcanal and Okinawa. He was joyfully sent home from Guam, always thankful to President Roosevelt, on April 19th 1945 to celebrate the end of the war that he had honorably served our nation in winning.
Mr. Halker moved to Yakima in 1955 where he began working for Safeway Stores Inc., and where he met his wife Betty. They worked together at the infamous 6th Avenue Safeway Store (now Salvation Army). He worked for Safeway for 35 years, retiring in 1985 after managing 3 Safeway stores in Leavenworth, Cashmere, and Yakima, WA. Del was a kind and honorable man known for his integrity. Among other hobbies, he loved to read. He enjoyed completing (in ink) almost every crossword puzzle published in the YHR, except Sundays. He also loved to sing, as did his father Alvin; he was a member of Camarata for over 20 years. He sang to his family members several songs, during his last 48 hours of life: one of which was a song his father Alvin use to sing when he was a boy. Del was a member of Yakima Elks Lodge #318 and loved every round of golf played and enjoyed the camaraderie of golfing with friends; and he enjoyed the bragging rights to 5 holes in one, the last one being in 2010 at the age of 88. He cherished and enjoyed time with friends and family, playing cards, going out to dinner, and watching & attending sports events. He was a diehard Mariners fan, even when the team was losing!
The following personally hallmarked remark made by family members and given to Del summarizes our love for our friend, father, grandfather and hero:
“Delmar. Dad. Grandpa. Golf Pro. We love you very much for: your giving nature; your dry and witty sense of humor; your oh so many life stories; your ‘it will all work out’ attitude; and your willingness to make ‘US’ your family!”
A celebration of Mr. Halker’s life is being planned for his 96th birthday on June 3rd at the Yakima Elks Lodge #318 in Selah, WA. Please call Susan at (509) 307-0665 for more information.
