Delmer Carman (Bolivar)'s Obituary
Delmar “Del” Willis Carman, 98, completed his life on this earth on September 12, 2024, at his home in Columbia, MO.
Del was born on May 18, 1926, to Edward T. and Amy A. (Dehm) Carman on the family farm in Pleasanton, NE. He attended and graduated from Pleasanton schools and enlisted in the United States Army in 1945. Delmar was married to Stella Switzer on October 12, 1947, in Kearney, NE.
Following their marriage, Del continued farming in Nebraska until 1959. He then moved his family to Stockton, Mo and worked in construction for several years, including working with the US Corps of Engineers on construction of the Stockton Dam. In 1969, the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where Del worked as a construction and housing inspector with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Del retired from HUD in 1989.
After his retirement, Del and Stella moved to Bolivar, MO. In retirement the couple volunteered with Laborers for Christ (LFC) with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. They traveled to many locations in the United States, living in their motorhome while assisting local congregations with the construction of church buildings. Del and Stell’s LFC service also took them to Hong Kong where they lived for two years while Del oversaw the construction of an administration building for the Lutheran church.
Del was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church in Bolivar. He was a volunteer with the CMH Auxiliary and was recognized as the Lillian Hutcheson Volunteer of the Year. Del also contributed countless hours of his time making parts for Personal Energy Transport (PET) carts for Mobility Worldwide, whose mission is to reflect the love of God by bringing the gift of mobility and dignity to those in developing countries who are unable to walk. During his lifetime Del enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting, golf, woodworking and winemaking. His talent in producing beautiful works of art with wood were recognized in a 2023 article, “The Woodworker’s Tale”, in the Rural Missouri magazine and pieces made by him are treasured by his family
Del’s greatest joy was his family. He is survived by his wife, Stella, having shared almost 77 years of life together. He is also survived by their four children, Dan Carman (Judy) of Bolivar, Mo, Gwen Grogan (Jim) of Fulton, MO, Jim Carman (Donna) of Houston, TX and Sandy Edwards of Fulton, MO; 10 grandchildren, Danella (John) Jemes of Grovespring, MO, Gina (Kevin) Smith of Fair Play, Sharla (Chris) Wilkerson of Lamar, Kim (Nathan) Brownfield of Buffalo, Kim (Randy) Buckingham of Branson, Leigh (Billy) Kleinert of Maryland Heights, MO, Jon Grogan of Los Angeles, CA, Carmen (Travas) Corey of Fulton, MO, Kyle Carman of Houston, TX and Erin (Zach) Buttrey of Bryan, TX; seventeen great-grandchildren and ten great-great-grandchildren. Del was greeted in Heaven by his parents, and son-in-law, Grant Edwards.
Services for Del will be Friday, September 20, 2024 at Zion Lutheran Church, Bolivar, starting at 2:00 PM. Visitation will take place an hour before the service, starting at 1:00 PM. Committal at Greenwood cemetery will immediately follow the service. In lieu of flowers, Del requested that memorial contributions be made to Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Disaster Response.
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