Delbert F. DeMars, age 96, passed away peacefully on 12/22/20.
Delbert was born December 29, 1923 on a farm in Hugo, MN to William DeMars and Olive (Laverdiere) DeMars. He was the fifth born with seven siblings, five brothers and two sisters.
Delbert married Elizabeth (Betty) Jane Reibel of White Bear Lake in 1943. They had three sons and one daughter: Del (Kathy), Ricki (Pat), Gail, and Daniel; seven grandchildren,13 great grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.
Delbert was preceded in death by his second wife of 43 years, Kathleen Stahnke, and by his sisters Evelyn (Johnston), Beulah (Richter), brothers Darryl, Ivan, Vernon, and LeRoy. Delbert was survived by one brother, Lloyd DeMars, by step daughters Jane (Larry) Bowman, and Virginia Stahnke.
During World War II, Delbert served as a U.S. Merchant Marine on the SS Robert R. Livingston. As a helmsman, he steered the ship through the Panama Canal en-route to Japan and the Philippines. He shared stories of living in Japan for six months while U.S. vessels supported the Japanese in gathering their troops after Japan’s surrender.
Delbert was a dedicated All-Star Blood donor and during the course of 20 years provided 15 gallons of lifesaving blood to the American Red Cross.
He worked as a Life Insurance and Consultant Field Rep with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for over three decades.
Delbert shared his love of music with his family and friends by playing his harmonicas given to him by his mother when he was a very young child.
A Catholic Mass will be said for Delbert on April 4th, 2021, 11:00 a.m. at the CHURCH OF ST. PETER, 2600 N. Margaret St., N. Saint Paul, MN. A memorial will be scheduled during the Spring of 2021, at Sandberg’s Funeral Home, 2593 E. 7th Avenue, N. St. Paul, MN, 55109. A time and date of the memorial will be decided and communicated at a later date.