Delbert John Sell

Delbert John Sell died April 30, 2007, at his home in Aegis Living, Bothell. He was 89. Del was born on Feb. 2, 1918, in Springfield, S.D., to John William and Tillie Einrem Sell. He and his six siblings spent their early years at the knees of their Norwegian grandparents, aunts and uncles, learning how to best each other in the art of storytelling. Eventually the family moved to Arcadia, Neb., where Del graduated from high school in 1936.

Del was a bright, ambitious student, but college was not an option. Instead he spent the next several years in the Civilian Conservations Corps where he made less than $30 a month, with all but “a little pocket change” sent home to his mother. Del was proud of his years in the “three Cs” where he became chief clerk in the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in Broken Bow, Neb. He said the education and experience was good preparation for making his way in the world. When he left the corps in 1940, he caught up with his family who had moved out west to “God’s country.” Then Uncle Sam and the Army Air Corps caught up with him.

During World War II, he earned his stripes as a sergeant major at the AAF clerical school, Fort Logan, Colo., where he supervised 400 instructors and administrative personnel, before serving in the Pacific Theater. He also earned his nickname, John D., “as in Mr. Rockefeller,” by winning at poker and setting up other GIs with loans at a reasonable interest rate.

After the war he returned to Skagit Valley where he met Enid Lagerlund, daughter of Hannah and Ed. They fell in love, and were married at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sedro-Woolley on Sept. 14, 1946. They spent their early years together on a dairy farm in Edison and soon had three children: Jack (the real John D.) born in 1947, Sue, 1949, and Cindy, 1954. Always a partner with Enid in parenting the kids, Del put family before everything else — he was a husband and father ahead of his time.

In 1957, they moved to Whidbey Island where Del built a home. A teacher, Enid became Oak Harbor Junior High School’s first girls’ counselor while Del set out on a course to become a self-taught engineer, from clearing brush to the survey crew to the draftsman’s table to land development engineer and partner in the Wendell West Corporation. Enid died in 1966 soon after their 20th anniversary.

Del’s work took him around the country, but retirement brought him back to the family home on Whidbey for nearly 30 more years. Del was a master craftsman, gardener, cook and an avid reader. For many years he was active in the Central Whidbey Sportsmen’s Association. He loved to play golf and shot two holes-in-one while a member of the Whidbey Golf and Country Club. Throughout his life, his children remained his proudest achievement.

Del is survived by his son, Jack (Charleine) Sell of Bothell; daughters, Sue (Peggy McNichol) Sell, Portland, Ore., and Cindy (Ken) Gullingsrud, Sammamish; granddaughters, Rebecca and Jillian Sell of Coronado, Calif. sister, Maxine (Jim) Fryda of Tyndall, S.D.; sister-in-law Mildred (Bill) Holtcamp of Sedro-Woolley; brother-in-law Oscar (Joyce) Lagerlund of Burlington; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in Coupeville on June 30 for family and friends. The family suggests memorial donations be made to the Group Health Community Foundation at www.ghc.org/foundation.