By Mike McKenna
“Well, hello there, young man. What can I help ya with?”
That’s how Delbert McMurdo used to great me whenever he’d stroll into the Hailey Welcome Center.
Before COVID hit, Delbert would come by to see me most Monday afternoons to find out what he could help with.
Delbert was a skilled craftsman who had a bit of time on his hands after retiring as the owner of Ketchum Heating. Over the years, he built numerous things for The Chamber, from our open sign to our map display to model wagons and a train we proudly have on display.
Delbert was born in Sandpoint, raised in Bellevue, and went to first grade at Hailey Elementary. He was a proud member of the Marine Corps, serving in Laos, Cambodia, and he was even in Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Shortly after he got out of the service, Delbert married his sweetheart, Anita. “It was cold that winter,” he joked. The two were happily married for nearly 60 years and raised three children and six grandkids here.
Like many locals, Delbert spent his early days doing whatever he could to make ends meet. As a youth, he worked irrigation systems on the land that is now home to the Woodside subdivision. He tended cows, fed sheep and worked at local sawmills. He helped clean up tailings at the Triumph Mine and worked for the State Highway Department covering Galena Summit for a dozen years. Delbert even helped build Hailey City Hall back in the 1960s, when it was located where The Advocates Attic is now.
“Anything to make a living and keep the family going,” he said when I interviewed him for a Chamber Corner story back in 2015. “I was never a scholar. I just had fun. I’ve had a good run. It’s been really great.”
Delbert passed away at his home in Hailey recently. I know I’m sure going to miss him. And not just because he was one of the only people who could call me by my full name of “Michael” and not make me feel like I was in trouble.
“Michael,” he said, as he gave me and my oldest son a tour of old mines in the area, “we’re losing a lot of our ‘Mom and Pops’ stuff around here. But it sure is still beautiful.”
Delbert may no longer be with us, but the legacy of love he had for this place will carry on in the hearts of those lucky enough to know him and by the joy his creations bring to folks who visit the Welcome Center.
BAHs are returning!
The Chamber is happy to announce that our popular Business After Hours (BAHs) are returning! We’ve got two scheduled for June: on Thursday, June 2, Jane’s Artifacts and surrounding businesses will host; and on June 23 Click It and the new Hailey Heritage clothing store will host. Find out more about local events at ValleyChamber.org or call (208) 788-3484.
