James Delos Reno | Obit old

James Delos Reno, age 80, passed peacefully June 5, 2022, at OHSU hospital in Portland, Oregon, of pulmonary fibrosis. He was born in Yakima, Washington, at St. Elizabeth hospital to James Wilson Reno and Lauretta Darnell Reno on June 6, 1941. He was raised on a farm in Selah, Washington and graduated from Selah High School in 1959. In the summer of 1959, he entered the US Coast Guard. He was based in Seattle and spent time on the Northwind Ice Breaker, in Radar at the DEW Line Station at Point Barrow, Alaska, and then went back to Seattle. He was later transferred to Portland, Oregon, to do Port Security. While in Seattle, he met a Yakima Valley girl — Malinda Alderman — and they were married in August 1963 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Yakima. Delos was always an entrepreneur and loved change and wanted to make everything better. He and Malinda built and operated Reno’s Meat Block in Vancouver, Washington. In Grandview, Washington, they bought and operated many rentals. In Goldendale they built and ran Reno’s Pizza for 20 years. In 1988, during his 4-year term as Klickitat County commissioner, he negotiated the contract to build a new state-of-the-art landfill, which brings much revenue to the county. He then filled in “retirement” time with building and remodeling many houses. He was always thinking of what to do next. Delos is survived by sisters Vicki Hughes of Portland, Oregon, and Sharma (Stan) Taylor of Selah; his wife, Malinda; daughters Dana (Robert) Allen, Darcy (Oscar) Johnson, and Dee Reno (Jason Ihrig); eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral mass will be on June 18 at 10:30 am at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and burial at noon at Holy Trinity Cemetery. There will be a memorial at 1 pm at the American Legion.