In high school, he was called “the operator,” and in his job at Martin Aircraft Co., he was called “the junk man.”
Don Delphia knew how to get things and get rid of things.
Delphia, who died May 19 at 78, also was a master baker (cinnamon rolls at the top of the list), a storyteller, a man who kept friends for decades, a father of eight, and a husband who never minded changing diapers and vacuuming.
Delphia worked for Martin Aircraft (now Lockheed Martin) for 33 years, doing sales at first and later finding buyers for the company’s surplus items, from aluminum to nuts and bolts.
The high-energy Delphia was as busy after hours as he was at work.
He raised tomatoes and herbs; baked pies, bread and cinnamon rolls for his family and the women’s bake sales at church; loved fishing and bridge; and entertained longtime family friends in the “pinochle club.” The group hasn’t played pinochle in decades, but its several couples get together often for dinners and out-of-town trips at least twice a year.
The club started years ago by the wives who gathered monthly to play pinochle, said Ed Hutchinson, who with his wife, Pat, is a member.
The club, which once had 18 members, eventually expanded to dinner parties and trips, Hutchinson said.
“We’ve been through it all together,” he said. “And Don was always the life of the party, the spark.”
Delphia was a gentle man with his children, said David Delphia of Littleton, the family’s youngest son. But there was that time Don Delphia brought home “a gross of eggs.”
“(The) temptation was too great,” David Delphia said. “All of us kids got into an egg fight inside and outside the house. That was the only time we got a board to our butts.”
Donald F. Delphia was born Oct. 27, 1926, in Zurich, Kan., and graduated from high school in Norton, Kan., and from St. Benedict College in Atchison, Kan.
A high school friend, Dan Casey, recalled Delphia’s ability to “get stuff and get around” obstacles. Delphia managed to get his buddies beer, cigarettes, gasoline for cars and even dates.
“He knew a lot of girls,” said Casey, who declined to be specific about his friend’s methods.
In addition to being “the operator,” Delphia worked simultaneously as a bank janitor, paper carrier and dry-cleaner delivery man in high school, Casey said.
Delphia married Joan Kaufmann on Feb. 14, 1953, in Kansas City, Mo., and they moved to Denver in 1954.
In addition to his wife and youngest son, Delphia is survived by daughters Jill Lawrence of Casper and Anne Delphia of Denver; and sons Jim Delphia and Tony Delphia of Littleton, Tom Delphia of Denver, Dan Delphia of Davie, Fla., and Tim Delphia of Fraser; and 12 grandchildren.
Virginia Culver can be reached at vculver@denverpost.com or 303-820-1223.
