Charles Joseph Delp was born in St Louis, Missouri, on May 9, 1927, to Hobart and Dorotha (Hartshorn) Delp. He and his older sister, Catherine, acquired skills of making new friends each time the family moved during their childhood while enduring the Depression. Their father’s employment with the Federal Land Bank involved moves to Pine Bluff, AR; New Orleans, LA; Jackson, MS; back to St. Louis, and after his father’s death, to Longmont, CO and Fort Collins, As a young man, Charlie was a Golden Glove boxer, wrestled, and played both football and the trombone with equal enthusiasm.
Immediately after graduating from Fort Collins High School, Charlie enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in Japan during WWII (1945-46). He continued in the Naval Reserves and was Honorably Discharged in 1959. Charlie attended Colorado State University (then known as Colorado A&M) with assistance from the G.I. Bill. He went on to earn a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Davis in 1953. Through his 32-year career in research and development with DuPont Ag Products in Wilmington, DE, Charlie was credited with developing fungicides that allowed growers around the world to improve production of food and fiber crops. He held leadership roles in the International Society for Plant Pathology, a global nonprofit institution and attended every one of their conferences over the span of 50 years. Although Charlie took a serious attitude toward his work on issues of world food security and fungicide resistance management, those who worked with him in the USA and abroad remember him as an authentic and sincere gentleman who forged deep and lasting friendships. His willingness to help anyone who approached him for advice was a trademark characteristic. Charlie was a trailblazer in hiring women scientists in Crop Protection Discovery at a time when there were very few given professional opportunities.
Upon retiring from DuPont in 1985, Charlie served as an AAAS Congressional Science Fellow in Washington, DC, studying African agricultural aid for the House Agriculture and Hunger Committees. His dream of serving as a volunteer for the United States Peace Corps was fulfilled when he worked in Western Samoa (1998-2000) at the University of the South Pacific to tackle Phytophthora blight on the taro plant.
Beyond his professional contributions, Charlie took an active role in the Boy Scouts of America, the Presbyterian Church, and Toastmasters International. During his post-retirement decades, Charlie was well known as volunteer faculty and as a dedicated student in the University of South Florida’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) where he nurtured many friendships. Charlie was a devoted volunteer for LifePath Hospice in the Sarasota and Tampa areas where he again found an outlet for making new friends, albeit short-term.
Charlie married Marian Shawver in 1949 and together they raised 4 sons. Family camping outings and canoe trips in Canada’s Algonquin and Northwest Territories continued from their son’s youth through the decades that included grandchildren. Charlie and Marian encouraged their sons’ pursuits in academics but also believed that life should be well-rounded, fun, and include service to others. Leaving a campsite ‘better than you found it,’ was a family motto. The Hartshorn family reunions were given high priority and occurred every 5 years beginning in the 1960’s, typically in Colorado where he held close bonds with many of his cousins.
Charlie and Marian’s marriage ended in 1983. In 1992, he married Stephanie Peters and so began a new chapter in his life. After residing in Delaware and Florida, they began spending summers in Central Nebraska in 2022 where they had built a home overlooking the peaceful prairie. It is there where Charlie fully appreciated each day of the last leg of his journey. Family visits from sons, grandchildren, cousins, and friends were the elixir that kept him going beyond what his medical team thought possible. The love and admiration he expressed to each visitor was the culmination of a driving force in his life—to look people in the eye, connect sincerely, and raise their spirits. As his Hospice nurse commented, “Charlie has made use of not only his 9 lives, but 5 from someone else as well.”
On his 98th birthday, Charlie was awarded the WWII Medal from the State of Nebraska and was given a Quilt of Valor by their foundation. He enjoyed a small gathering of family and friends for that occasion, highlighted by at least 2 of his favorite desserts. He lived 1 week beyond that birthday.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Stephanie, his sons, Gary (Rochester, MN); Bryan (Waynesville, NC); Scott (Stanford, CA); and David (San Francisco, CA); along with 2 daughters in law and 6 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Catherine Eaks.
Those who wish may consider memorials to the following: WINGS Guatemala; Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI); or The Farmlink Project.
The family will memorialize him privately with no other service planned.
