Attachment: Phelps Funeral - 1

Longtime RV fire chief dies at 77 Delbert Phelps, 77, of Redwood Valley, died Wednesday at a local hospital. He was the well-known retired fire chief of the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department. Phelps was born June 30, 1930, in a house across the street from the Redwood Valley firehouse. A lifelong Redwood Valley resident, Phelps started fighting fires the year he turned a teenager and responded to fires for more than 50 years. He started his firefighting career as a volunteer in the Redwood Valley department in 1943 and hired on with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (the fire division now known as CalFire) in 1944. During 10 years with CDF, Phelps was a firefighter, fire truck driver and crew foreman, before returning to Redwood Valley to become a charter member of the department in 1953. In Redwood Valley, Phelps served six years as a firefighter, 18 years as a captain and training officer, one year as assistant chief and 17 years as fire chief. He retired from the Redwood Valley-Calpella department in 1995, with a total of 1,769 training hours, responding to 3,931 incidents. In 2005, the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department renamed its firehouse for him in a surprise dedication ceremony that February attended by many, many friends and family. Phelps leaves his wife, Jeannie, who he eloped with to Reno on Nov. 30, 1948, his daughter, Linda Phelps-Wilson, and son, David Phelps, all of Redwood Valley. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Delbert Phelps Firehouse in Redwood Valley. A procession will travel from the service to the Ukiah cemetery, and a gathering will follow, back at the firehouse. Ukiah Daily Journal Staff Article Last Updated: 10/25/2007 08:39:39 AM PDT More rip farewell fireman fire chief delbert phelps redwood valley calpella mendocino county california funeral october 2007