Delmar D. Falen, 87, passed away March 11, 2022. He was born on February 22, 1935, to Paul W. and Bessie M. (Mathis) Falen in Dillon, KS, west of Herington, KS. He was welcomed into a family of three girls, and one more sister was born later. Their house was the Dillon Post Office as his Mom was the Postmistress. The Dillon Post Office sign still hangs in their home today.
Delmar grew up in a Braum’s Ice Cream shop (Peter Pan); his Mom managed the store in Herington. He made many 35 cent banana splits, and the money he earned put him through college. He remained a lifelong fan of their ice cream. In fact, Delmar and Shyla had just made a trip to Braum’s to restock his freezer.
During his elementary school years, the family moved to Herington, and Delmar graduated from Herington High in 1953. After graduation, he worked for the Rock Island Railroad for two years in Wichita. His boss, noticing his math skills, suggested he go to college – he was the first in his family to attend college and graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in Business.
In 1957, Delmar met the love of his life, Evelyn Pilkington, at an “hour dance” at KU’s Miller Scholarship Hall where she lived. They were married in Parsons, KS, on June 28, 1959 and celebrated 62 years together.
Delmar’s first job after college was with a CPA firm in Dodge City, KS, where they lived for three years. During that time their first daughter, Kyra, was born. After he passed the CPA exam, Delmar and Evelyn searched for a town to open an accounting firm. They settled on Marysville, KS where he practiced for 36 years. Their second daughter, Shyla, was born in Marysville. Delmar loved small town life, and especially enjoyed working with his clients and doing school audits.
Often when their daughters finished the school year, the family headed somewhere on vacation. Delmar would get up earlier than his family, grab a bite to eat, and was ready for “take-off” when Evelyn and the girls woke up. Except for a couple of bus tours, they saw almost every state by car – however, they did fly to Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe.
Delmar was a gardener and beekeeper and was often seen working in the garden in his good suit, not taking time to change clothes after work. He loved growing flowers but could not remember the name of many – he simply called them “flowers”. Friends will recall he celebrated every holiday season by creating and personally sharing his famous bourbon and rum balls.
Delmar was an avid KU sports fan – his family had season basketball and football tickets even when they had to drive 250 miles to see the games. After they moved to Lawrence, KS, in 1998, he enjoyed attending numerous concerts at the Lied Center. Music was a daily occurrence in the Falen household as Evelyn was either playing an instrument or teaching piano most days – he never complained even when he had to listen to beginners.
Delmar was a member of Jayhawk Breakfast Rotary Club where he served as treasurer for several years. He was also a member of First Baptist Church in Lawrence. In his later years, his favorite activity was putting puzzles together. He had just finished a 1000 piece puzzle before his death.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and sisters Pauline Allen, Lois Miller, and Joyce Rush. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn, two daughters, Kyra Shimizu (Richard) of Superior, CO and Shyla Strathman (Max) of Lawrence. Delmar was so pleased that all his grandchildren received college degrees – Kaitlin Shimizu, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Adelyn Moody (Justin), LaMesa, CA; Tamlyn Shimizu (Till Bachmeier), Buenzwangen, Germany; Adam Strathman, Washington, D.C., and Nate Strathman, Waukegan, IL. Also surviving is one sister, Arlene Girton, Moundridge, KS and his sister-in-law, Delores Giauque (Douglas) of Silver Spring, MD.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 1330 Kasold Drive, Lawrence, KS.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to KSDS Assistance Dogs, 120 W. 7th St., Washington, KS 66968 or to Jayhawk Breakfast Rotary Club, P.O. Box 691, Lawrence, KS 66044.
