Delbert G. Divelbiss, Awaiting the Return of Jesus Christ

Today was a sad day in my life and the lives of my family. My dear Uncle Del fell asleep and is awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. For him, the next thing he will know will be the return of Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Uncle Del was my Dad's only brother. They were 5-1/2 years apart in age, my Dad being the older. They were born in a house here in Huntington, my Dad in 1924 and Uncle Del in 1929. In fact, Uncle Del just celebrated his 80th birthday on August 31. He didn't think he would make it to that age, but he did.

Uncle Del married Aunt Norma on her 19th birthday, June 22, 1952. The following year my cousin Karen was born on June 17. Two years later on February 9, 1955 Kay Ann was born. Tom was born on July 23, 1959 and Kathy on February 4, 1965. They lived in a house here in Huntington until 1966 when they moved to Fort Wayne.

Karen married Dave in the summer of 1975 and they live in the Plymouth, Indiana area. Kay Ann married Mike in the summer of 1977 and they currently live in Virginia. Tom has lived around the Los Angeles area of California for over 15 years. Kathy lives in Fort Wayne.

In around 1978, Uncle Del, Aunt Norma, and Kathy moved to a property on the southern edge of Salamonie Reservoir. There they owned about 26 acres, much of it being rented out to a farmer. Uncle Del and Aunt Norma lived there until a few years ago when it became too difficult for Uncle Del to take care of the yard. They sold their property and bought a house back in Fort Wayne where they would be close to Kathy.

One of the things I can tell you about Uncle Del was how much he liked watermelon. I remember sitting on the back steps of the Huntington house when I was very young, eating watermelon and spiting the seeds out in the yard. He also like popcorn and RC Cola and we ate many bowls of popcorn while watching TV. The house they lived in had hard wood floors and Tom's room was knotty pine. I think it was used as a den where we watched TV until he was born.

One time when I was visiting my cousins, I went for a short, very short, bike ride after supper. The man who lived behind them had dug a little ditch across the alley so that the water would drain. I didn't know it was there and for some reason, I went head over heels and landed on my chin. Uncle Del and Aunt Norma's brother Clyde took me to the emergency room where they proceeded to remove the many stones that were stuck in my chin. Then the doctor put a clamp on my chin to hold it together. I still have the scars although the hurt is gone.

Another time, we went swimming on the back side of Lake Clare. Lake Clare was an old gravel pit that had filled with water. Rumor has it that there are train cars in the bottom of the lake and as such, it is very deep. As kids, my Dad and Uncle Del used to swim in it with the neighborhood boys. The area where we went to swim wasn't a beach area, but the water right at the edge wasn't too deep. I went out a little too far and went down. Karen grabbed my foot and called to her Dad. He jumped in and pulled me out of the cold water. He saved my life. For that, I will ever be thankful.

In 1970 Uncle Del asked if I wanted to join their family and our Grandpa for a 4-week vacation to Alaska. Of course I said YES! He had a 1969 12-passenger Ford van. The back two seats were turned to face each other and we played many card games as we traveled the 4,000 miles one way. We had such a good time that we all went again in 1972, but this time for 7 weeks! We camped and prepared much of our food. Those two trips were highlights of my life and I am so grateful for the time we spent together as a family. We all have very good memories of those vacations.

Uncle Del had 4 children who I mentioned earlier. He also had 5 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

I praise God for the times that I shared with Uncle Del. He was a wonderful uncle and I am going to miss him greatly.