Delma Jean O'Brien Killinger

Delma Jean O’Brien Killinger was born on August 9, 1943, in Vancouver, Washington. She died on October 25, 2022 in Grand Junction, Colorado at the age of 79 after a 12 year battle with cancer of the larynx.

Delma’s early childhood years were spent in Vancouver and Anacortes, Washington, living in one of three trailers as her father went from job site to job site. At age 16, the family was able to settle down and buy a home in Richland, Washington. This is where she graduated from high school. Some of her fondest memories were playing baseball with her parents, family, and neighborhood friends and being taught to fish by her father.

Delma is survived by her husband, Gary Killinger, married July 6, 1996, in Lakewood, Colorado. She is also survived by her five children: Deborah Fields, Tamarak Arebalo and wife Cathy, Derik Minard and fiancé Inga, Kevin Minard and wife Pam, and Jayson Minard. Delma is also survived by her sister Cindy Lou O’Brien of Pullman, Washington. In addition, she is survived by 14 grandchildren and 7 great grand children.

Delma is predeceased in death by her parents, Louie Lorenza O’Brien and Mable Norine Giberson O’Brien, her brothers Richard Louie O’Brien and James Richard O’Brien, and sisters Shirley O’Brien Henderson and Nellie Katherine O’Brien Davis.

Delma led an active life and enjoyed many hobbies. She was famously known by her family for her Halloween decorating cookie parties and scrumptious fruit pies. She was an avid seamstress making her children’s clothing and passing this skill onto them all. She spent years traveling and researching family genealogy building notebooks with history for all generations to know their ancestry. When Delma wanted to have more of an adventurous hobby, she joined a white water river rafting club where she met her husband, Gary. Ultimately, her most precious hobby was time with her many grandchildren.

Delma and Gary enjoyed traveling, camping, and rafting together. Their greatest adventure was a 225 mile, 14 day rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It is a trip she would never forget and one that not many people get to do. She and Gary loved to raft and this was the pinnacle of their rafting adventures together.

Over the course of Delma’s life, she worked in a bakery, cannery, medical offices, and worked as a seamstress. During her children’s school age years, she was a stay at home mom being kept active with their schools and volunteering. Her free time was spent driving her five children to their many activities. After her children were grown, she worked full-time for medical doctors. She also volunteered at the Denver History Museum.

A celebration of life is being planned for the spring or summer to celebrate Delma’s life. More information will be posted here in the coming months.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to one of the following:

Forever Our Rivers https://www.foreverourrivers.org/

Make a tribute donation in honor of Delma Killinger

The American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/

Please dedicate your donation in honor of Delma Killinger and send the automated e-card to Gary at [email protected]

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Killinger family.