Delbert D. Rainville

Delbert (Del) D. Rainville, 84, a resident of Roseburg since 1950, passed away on January 30, 2011, in Portland, OR. Del was born in Goshen on August 28, 1926, and grew up on a farm in the Santa Clara district of Eugene, OR. He graduated from St. Mary's high school in 1945. Del joined the Army Air Force upon his graduation from high school. After his discharge from the Army, Del purchased farm equipment and did custom farm work as well as raising crops. Shortly thereafter, he met his future wife, Dolores (Mickey) Willard. They married on June 25, 1950, in Eugene, OR. In 1950 Del and Mickey moved to the Melrose area of Roseburg to manage a ranch for Del's uncle, Elzer Rainville. Besides working the ranch, Del went to work as an auto mechanic for Lockwood Ford of Roseburg. He always had a knack for fixing anything with a motor and was a great mechanic. The Rainville ranch eventually sold and Del moved his family to the Green area and then to Quail Lane in Garden Valley. He bought his own auto shop, Del's Bartley Repair, in 1960 and ran it successfully until 1969. The shop was sold and Del took a short vacation to enjoy his hobbies of gardening, fishing and hunting. During 1970 and part of 1971 he worked for Roseburg Motors and Utne Bros, Inc. In 1971 he was hired by Umpqua Community College as an automotive technology instructor. He loved the college and his students and stayed there for the rest of his working life, retiring in 1983. Del was a member of the Cow Creek Bank of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. He was so proud to serve on the Cow Creek Foundation Board which he had sat on since 2000. He loved being able to give back to the community. In 2001 he was elected to the Board of Directors for the Tribe and was very active with that board until the week of his surgery. The Tribe had become his second family and he looked forward to the Tribe's future. Del really loved the outdoors-fishing, hunting and working the land. His garden was loved by many as he gave away much of what was grown to friends and family. Fishing was his passion and he never stopped wanting to catch the "big" one. His smoked salmon was legendary!
Del lived a full life, was definitely a member of "the greatest generation" and will be remembered as a good friend, husband and father. Del was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Lucile (Denny) Rainville, infant brother, his sister, Naomi Gould, and nephew, Douglas Riebe. Del is survived by his wife Mickey, daughter Luann, and her husband Robert Urban of Roseburg; his sister, Joan Johnson of Lompoc, California; his cousins, The Rainville Boys, his fishing and hunting buddies. He is also survived by loving nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions can be made to the Singing Waters Drummers, Cow Creek Tribe, 2371 NE Stephens Suite 100, Roseburg, OR 97470.