Del Wynn

Delbert “Del” Wynn (81) passed away on November 30, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at St Pius X Church (Urbandale, Iowa) at 10:00 a.m, with a funeral Mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be held at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery that afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Delbert Lee Wynn was born to Leo and Thelma (Laird) Wynn on January 29, 1943, in Riverton, Iowa. He was raised on a farm on the banks of the Nishnabotna River, where he began formulating his lifelong dedication to the idea that hard work should be followed by hard play. Del was a phenomenal basketball player and played all 4 years of high school. He graduated Riverton High School with the class of 1961. Directly out of high school, Del joined the Navy. Ever the analytical mind, Del set his sights on becoming one of the top electronic technicians for the Navy’s first Supersonic Jet, the Phantom F-4. He was a member of an elite group known as the “Phantom Phixers”. Del was stationed in Key West, Florida for the majority of his service.

Following his service in the U.S. Navy, Del received a technical degree from Iowa Western Community College. It was during these years that he was introduced to a young woman from Adair, Iowa. Kathy Griffin soon became Kathy Wynn, and the newly married couple packed their belongings and headed to central Tennessee as Del obtained a degree in Engineering Science from Tennessee Tech. 

Del was truly a jack of all trades. He was an avid brewer, skilled gardener, talented photographer and accomplished home cook. A true “farm boy”, Del was happiest when he was outside. He could often be found fishing, hunting, and exploring our National Parks. Del was a proud leader of a local Boy Scout Troop, the Mighty 211. He shepherded many young men to Eagle Scout status. Troop 211 sold Christmas trees each year and, with their proceeds, traveled the world. With Troop 211, Del traveled to Venezuela, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Mexico, Fiji and Tahiti. In addition to serving in the community, Del and Kathy served as eucharistic ministers and money counters at St. Pius for many years. 

After 30 years with Mid-American Energy as engineer and supervisor, Del retired in 2007 but never slowed down. He developed a taste for the finer things in life by way of strong coffee, fine whiskey and good cigars. Del was very proud of his Welsh ancestry and became involved in the Wynn family genealogy. He developed, published and updated a website that helped people across the globe complete their own genealogy research.

Whether you called him husband, Dad, son, brother, cousin, nephew, Uncle Bub, Uncle Del, Grandpa or Grampy Del, it was his family that brought him the most joy and was the thing of which he was most proud. It was a life well lived. Left to be forever grateful for his love are his wife of 54 years Kathy Wynn; daughter and son-in-law Sarah and Michael Schall; son and daughter-in-law James Wynn and Cristina Gonzalez; grandchildren Isabel, William, Leo and Penelope; sister Kathy Ryan; nieces, nephews, friends and admirers too numerous to count.