Delbert E. "Del" Finup

Delbert (Del) Elwood Finup died peacefully at home in Lakeview Michigan on November 7, 2025, at the age of 82. Del is remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, great-great grandfather, and friend, as well as being an exceptional pilot, horseman, and all-around outstanding person.
Del was raised in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, the son of Arthur and Laura (Marks) Finup, and brother to Elwood and Emory. It was during this time that Del gained a passion for flying and horses. Del was an exceptional athlete in high school and held school records for many years. He entered the Army in 1961, serving the bulk of his duty stationed in Alaska. He recalled to his family, "I don't know at what temperature freezes, but I saw it get mighty slushy." After his release from the service, he moved to Reno Nevada to pursue his first passion, flying. He obtained his pilot's license and higher certifications. He was determined to become an agricultural aviator (crop duster) as this required the highest level of pilot skill performed with minimal margin of safety, which fueled Del's desire to be the best at whatever he set his mind to, but also to provide a much needed service to America's farmers. As stated in his letter of reference from the Agricultural Aviation Academy, Del was "a highly skilled and qualified pilot. He completed his training in record time and at all times was in the top 10%. He consistently demonstrated a high degree of professionalism in his profession and is highly respected by all. He possesses the desired qualities of a flight instructor, a gentleman of high standards, and I consider it an honor to highly recommend him to any position he may apply."
While in Reno, Del met and married June Margret Litteral and became father to her four sons Mark, Jim, Tim, and Steve. They moved to Michigan and Del began pursuing his career as an Agricultural Aviator. He eventually started his own business, Finup Spraying Service, in Lakeview Michigan. He also started pursuing a second passion, raising and racing quarter horses, involving his sons in both his aviation and horse passions and setting an example for working hard to reach your dreams.
Following the much too early loss of June in 1975, Del purchased 40 acres south of Lakeview and built a horse ranch and seriously started pursuing raising and racing quality quarter horses in earnest with significant success. During the summer growing season, he worked long hours rising before sunup to spray crops until sundown to get the most out of the daylight hours, followed by hours at night doing necessary maintenance. During the rest of the year he worked with his horses, driving to breed and train competitive racing quarter horses.
Del met Hazel (Bush) Kozinski and they were married in 1978 and the family expanded as he became father to her children Michael and Ellie. Del was as passionate about raising his children as building his businesses and gave everything he could to help them succeed. He enjoyed watching his family expand as his kids starting having kids, grand kids, great grandkids, etc. In his passions he attained high levels of accomplishment in both flying and horse racing. He served as president of the Michigan Agricultural Aviation Association and bred and trained horses which won several high stakes races.
In 2001 Del suffered a stroke which ended his careers and confined him to limited movement and living through persistent pain. Even with this significant challenge he forever maintained his mirthful sense of humor and loved to tell stories about his flying experiences, horses, and family. He retained his keen mind for numbers and demonstrated this by calling relatives, friends, and former colleagues throughout his day, dialing their phone numbers from memory, staying up on recent events in everyone's lives. Del drove through his challenges for nearly 25 years before succumbing to a hard-fought battle with heart disease stemming from his stroke in 2001. Del spent his final days connecting with his loved ones, in person or by phone, telling them he was proud of them and loved them and, in typical Del-fashion, making everyone else comfortable with his passing.
"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
-Shakespear's Hamlet describing the death of the late king, Hamlet's father.
Del will be remembered on Tuesday, November 18th, at 3:00 pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lakeview with Pastor Alex Sable officiating, followed by apple pie (Del's favorite food) and coffee in the fellowship hall. Interment will be in Cato Township Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to help offset medical and funeral expenses at https://everloved.com/life-of/delbert-finup/