Obituary of Darrel Lee Gilmer

Darrel Lee Gilmer March 26, 1930 - July 2, 2021 The University of Washington Football team lost their #1 fan as Darrel Gilmer, long-time Camas resident, passed peacefully into the Lord’s care on Friday, July 2, 2021. Darrel was born March 26th, 1930 in Tacoma to Lee and Sigrid Gilmer but spent the majority of his youth and adulthood living in Camas. He attended Camas High School where he met and married Shirley Beauchamp on September 6, 1952, his high school sweetheart and life partner of 68 years. They had two daughters and one son, who all reside in Washington State; Kim Gilmer of Trout Lake; Karen Welinski of Camas and Todd Gilmer of Bothell. Darrel was a devoted husband, father and loved his family deeply. He took a lot of pride in his home and spent many hours turning their charming home into a residential oasis where he and Shirley could relax and enjoy each other’s company. Sports was one of Darrel’s passions and played an integral role in his life. During high school, Darrel was a 3-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He was a member of the 1948 Camas boys basketball team that participated in the state tournament and recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. Darrel’s favorite sport was definitely golf. He joined Orchard Hills Golf & Country Club in 1954 and played well into his 70’s where he formed many important friendships that spanned a lifetime. He absolutely loved playing, watching and talking golf with friends and co-workers. After graduating from high school, Darrel enlisted in the USMC Reserve as a Private First Class, then joined the Air Force on November 1, 1950, as an Airman First Class where he was stationed around the world in places such as French Morocco, Guam and New Mexico. He received his Honorable Discharge from the Air Force on September 3, 1954. After the military, Darrel attended Lewis & Clark College, where he received a degree in Business Administration. He and Shirley returned to Camas and began his career in Production Planning at Crown Zellerbach Corporation. He retired at the age of 55 and he and Shirley spent their retirement years traveling together across the country and seeing the historical sights on the east coast and throughout the south. Throughout their marriage, Darrel and Shirley enjoyed dancing with their friends at the Wildlife Club and Camas Fire Department social functions, where he served as a volunteer firefighter for 25 years. The past twenty five years of his life may have brought him the most joy, as it includes his relationships with his grandchildren: Kyle & Ryan Gilmer of Bothell and Matt & Jenna Welinski of Camas. There was always time available to watch and spend time with his grandkids and attend their sporting events. It definitely was a highlight of his retirement. No conversation about Darrel would be complete without mentioning his love-hate relationship with the Huskies and Ducks/Beavers football. So many of us have enjoyed sitting alongside him cheering and shaking our heads. But Darrel’s passion for his team could not be bridled. To say our father will be missed is an understatement. His infectious smile, distinctive laugh, generosity & support along with his caring nature is a stark contrast to the hole he left in our hearts. We are blessed to have Darrel for 91 years. Darrel is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughter Kim Gilmer; daughter and son-in-law Karen & John Welinski; son and daughter-in-law Todd & Barb Gilmer and 4 grand children: Kyle & Ryan Gilmer and Matt & Jenna Welinski. Darrel is also preceded in death by his mom and dad, and his sister, Marilyn Arvidson. The family would like to thank the wonderful hospice nurses/chaplain and staff at Green Meadows Adult Care Home for their warmth, care and expertise where Darrel lived for almost 2 years. Funeral services for Darrel L. Gilmer will be on Saturday, July 24th at 1:00pm at Zion Lutheran Church in Camas, WA with a grave site service immediately following at Camas Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to Community Home Health & Hospice of Vancouver (https://www.chhh.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/) or Zion Lutheran Church of Camas (https://www.zionluthcamas.org/donate.html).