"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Dallas Larry DeLay, of Seattle, Washington, passed away on April 15, 2022, after having a stroke in Belize while there on vacation with his beloved wife, Heidi.

Dallas was known for his generous heart, sweet nature, big ole Dallas hugs, and incredible stories that morphed and grew every time he told them. He was an amazing partner-in-life to his wife, Heidi, who counts herself as incredibly blessed to have loved and been loved by him for 27 years of marriage. He cherished family and friends and he was, in return, beloved by them. Dallas was an enthusiastic, but terrible, singer, a rule bender/breaker, an irrepressible rascal, an imperfectly perfect human being. He was a hard worker, bigger than life, warm, funny, infuriating, tenacious, optimistic, a good listener, loyal, blustery, silly, and true-blue. To know him was to love him. We are lucky to have had him for as long as we did. It just wasn’t long enough.

He had 4 children, Eric, Scott, and Megan, and was a father to step-son Zach in every sense of the word. Every birthday was marked with an off-key rendition of the Happy Birthday song and always the big hugs. He folded his children’s spouses into his life with an open heart and treasured his grandchildren. He was the epitome of unconditional love, and would do anything to help his kids or his extended family and dear friends. Just ask anyone who has needed some construction help, an errand run, or someone to sit beside them during a hospital stay.

Dallas was born in Sisseton, South Dakota, on March 11, 1944, and moved to the Pacific Northwest when he was six years old. He grew up in a large family where money was not always plentiful. Dallas had dyslexia and finally learned to read when he was sixteen. His early struggles at home and in the classroom laid the foundation for his compassionate attitude and acceptance of everyone. He could not abide bullies and would stick up for anyone he felt was being pushed around. He attended school in the Lake Washington School District, where he discovered his love of football, track and wrestling.

Photos of Dallas appear on almost every other page of his Lake Washington High School yearbooks. He was a proud Kangaroo, voted Boys Club President, a member of the Student Council, and a Letterman for three straight years. He excelled at football, but wrestling was his passion and he was the top wrestler for two years as part of the 1963 undefeated wrestling team. He was also, by all accounts, a really nice guy and a good sport.

Dallas attended and earned a BA at Central Washington University (CWU), majoring in Physical Education with a minor in Psychology. He continued playing football, as a guard, participating in track, in the shot put, and honing his wrestling skills at both 177 lbs. and 191 lbs.

Dallas excelled particularly in wrestling, becoming a two-time All-American Wrestler after placing 1st in Conference and District Championships and 2nd in the NAIA National Championships in 1966, followed by 3rd at the NAIA National Championships in 1967. These performances helped CWU place 3rd in the 1966 NAIA National Championships and 4th in 1967.

Besides his All-American wrestling achievements, Dallas’ athletic abilities were recognized as a member of CWU first undefeated football team in school history in 1963 that ended the season ranked 10th in the nation in NAIA rankings. He was inducted into the CWU Hall of Fame for football and made the list of "Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities".

After his illustrious high school and collegiate football and wrestling career, Dallas began his teaching career in Moses Lake as a Special Needs Educator. He also joined the coaching staff at Moses Lake High School where his talents really shined. At Tall Timber Wrestling Camp, where Dallas previously attended as wrestler for CWU, Dallas had the opportunity to work out with six NCAA wrestling champions and three Olympic gold medal winners. They were extremely impressed by the impact Dallas had on the young athletes that he coached. Dallas also specialized in officiating youth freestyle wrestling and was well respected for his knowledge and talent as an official.

Dallas traveled extensively, taking his young wrestlers to many different countries and officiating and coaching all over the world: Tunisia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan – making friends everywhere he went. In 1993 he officiated the African Championships in South Africa at the end of Apartheid, staying with Peet and Carole Pretorius in Pretoria, South Africa. He was instantly adopted into their family and he and Heidi made five more amazing trips to Africa. He officiated in Cuba on a sports visa, and when he came home, he made trips to Canada in order to ship vitamin B-12 injections to the wife of the Cuban team’s Sports Medicine doctor. She was very ill and credits him with sending the medicine which saved her life. Dallas was proud that he made it to all 50 states, and he and Heidi also traveled to many other beautiful and interesting countries.

Dallas had an incredibly broad and extensive work history. His love of Labor Relations, particularly negotiation and administration of labor agreements, started in Moses Lake, as he was a member of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with the Washington State AFT and was a part of contract negotiations with the Moses Lake School District.

His passion for labor issues continued throughout his life. Following his career as a teacher/coach, he went to work for the International Longshoremen’s and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 19. Later in life, he transitioned to the construction industry, where he became a national expert on labor relations issues. In his forty-year plus career in the construction industry, he worked on and/or managed projects with a combined value in excess of $80 billion. His expertise included negotiation and administration of labor agreements that focused on Labor Compliance, Field Monitoring and especially Community Outreach on multi-billion-dollar projects. His passion was to encourage community participation by training and employing local residents and Targeted Workers (i.e. minorities, women, veterans and disadvantaged individuals), particularly through Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Training Programs.

His labor expertise included work on both the Labor and Management sides within the construction industry. On the Management side, he was a Senior Labor Relations Manager for Parsons Construction, Inc., Sound Transit and M. L. Johnson & Associates, LLC and, on the Labor side, he was a Business Agent for the Longshoremen’s Union #19 and Assistant Executive Director for the Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council. As a result of his experience both on the Labor and Management sides, he became nationally known and respected for his ability to resolve difficult labor issues. Locally, he managed some of the largest construction projects in the region, such as Sea-Tac Airport, Sound Transit Phase 1 & 2, City of Seattle Community Workforce Agreement, and Seattle Housing Authority’s Yesler Terrace Project and Pier 66 Improvement Project.

He also loved residential construction projects and built and/or remodeled numerous houses, having learned the trade from his dad and eventually passing his knowledge on to his sons. Dallas was what you would call “accident prone” and he sustained many injuries over the years and had a ridiculous number of surgeries. His family joked about bubble wrapping him. Retirement was not dull for Dallas, and he continued to work on construction projects, travel, giving back to his community and spending time with family and friends.

Causes that were near and dear to Dallas’ heart included the Seattle Vocational Institute PACT program that helped students in need or with troubled pasts to earn a living wage and get their lives on track. He also was very involved in raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He and his wife, Heidi, raised 17 dogs over the past 20+ years.

He is survived by his wife, Heidi Hespelt; his children, Eric Delay (Heather Gee), Scott DeLay (Jewelli), Megan DeLay (Albert Soria), Zach Hespelt (Jessica); his grandchildren Tyler, Angel, Autumn, Caden, Damon, Dallas, Danielle, Jacob, Dane, Micah, Bailey; and great-grandchildren Myla, Aleah and Brooklyn; godchildren Phil, Jackie, Brenna, and Marissa; siblings Robert, Dale, Michael (Betsy), and Holly (Jim); and many close friends that he considered to be family. He was preceded in death by his parents Dallas A. and Clarice, brother Tom and sister-in-law Linda.