Delbert Eugene King, the son of Charley LeRoy and Keren Juanita (Bingham) King, was born September 5, 1939, in Hancock, IA. Delbert died June 9, 2021, at Hillcrest Health and Rehab in Bellevue, NE, at the age of 81 years, 9 months, and 4 days.
Delbert grew up in Hancock and graduated from Hancock High School in 1957. After graduating, he joined the Navy. He was stationed in Long Beach, CA. While stationed in Long Beach, he met the love of his life, Dorothy. Delbert married Dorothy on November 12, 1960, in Lakewood, CA. While living in California, Delbert worked for Honeywell and enjoyed taking his three sons to the piers for fishing, every chance he got. They lived in Carson, CA until 1974, when they moved to Iowa to take over the family farm. After moving to Iowa, Delbert farmed, raised livestock, and did custom hay bailing for area farmers. Delbert worked at the ASCS office in Oakland for many years. He enjoyed meeting and talking to the area farmers. Delbert also served as a Pottawattamie County Supervisor for two terms.
After retiring from farming, Delbert and Dorothy were avid campers. Their favorite spot was Prairie Lake State Park. Delbert would take his boat out on the lake fishing while Dorothy stayed at the camper with their dogs. They would take trips to other parks, travel to camp near their sons, and really enjoyed watching the other people pull into the campground and set up around them.
Delbert was also an avid gardener. He would work on ways to get the most out of the space he had for a garden. He would have creative ways to get water to his garden, running the hoses underground, over the top of structures, and would come up with ways to keep the deer and rabbits from getting to the things in his garden. He was especially proud of his radish bed design and would always talk about the produce he had picked from his garden.
Delbert was able to easily strike up a conversation with other people, whether they were talking about farming, camping, or the weather. He never had a problem when it came to other people. Delbert was a member of the Hancock United Methodist Church and the Hancock Legion.
He is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy, his parents, his granddaughter Naomi King, and his twin brother Delmar.
Delbert is survived by his three sons: Robert and wife Darlene of Bellevue, NE, David and wife Cindy of Onawa, IA, and Stephen and wife Tracy of Omaha, NE; his grandchildren: Rachel Orvis and husband Dean and their four children: Bo, Reagan, Riley, and Ryan of Dowagiac, MI, Corey King and wife Kelly and their five children: Luci, Bella, Liam, Adaline, and Edith of Omaha, NE, Joshua King and wife Naomy of Las Vegas, NV, Kyle King and wife Mary of Omaha, NE, Hannah King of Huntington Beach, CA, Derek King of Omaha, NE, Cody King and wife Chloe of Gretna, NE, Kaitlyn King of Omaha, NE; his sister Shirley Mae Jefferson of Oakland, IA; and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at 10:30 AM, at the Hancock United Methodist Church in Hancock, IA. Visitation with the family will be Monday, June 14, 2021, from 5:30 Until 7:30, at the Rieken Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland, IA. Interment will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery, east of Hancock. Rieken Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland is assisting the family with arrangements.
