Della Anne Svendby Willis passed away peacefully following a brief illness on June 8, 2015, in Springfield, Virginia, at age 80. Del (also known as Delanne) was born September 18, 1934, in Colfax, Washington, and grew up in Fort Scott, Kansas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. At age 12, she contracted polio and her legs became paralyzed. Hospitals were full due to a major polio outbreak, so Del remained at home for a year with instruction from a visiting teacher. She regained mobility and overcame the disease until it returned in her early 70s as Post-polio syndrome which once again affected her ability to walk. As a child, Del liked to swim, ride bikes and ice skate. As a teen, she was on the school drill team and did synchronized swimming. In 1956, Del graduated from Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, Kansas, (now Pittsburg State University) with a B.Sc. degree in education. She taught kindergarten and first grade in Shawnee, near Kansas City. In 1958, Del moved to Bogotá, Colombia, to teach first grade at the Inter-American school. Her favorite part of teaching was seeing how much kids changed from when they first came in to when they left at the end of the school year. Del took an adventurous trip around South America with a friend, traveling by small aircraft to visit cities, jungles, and cultural sites. When she returned to Bogotá, Del met fellow American ex-pat and Citibank executive Robert Storm Willis (1924–2012). They married on September 8, 1960, in Seattle, Washington. Del, Robert and their daughters lived in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela and Princeton, New Jersey. A 30-year resident of Princeton, New Jersey, Del was a member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church and volunteered with several organizations including schools, Girl Scouts, and Recording for the Blind. In 2006, Del and Robert moved to Springfield, Virginia. They were active members of St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church in Annandale. Del and Robert were happily married for 51 years. Del had fond memories of traveling to many countries. She was proud of her paternal Norwegian ancestry and loved to make Norwegian food. She enjoyed baking, crafting, and spending time with family and friends. She also loved dogs, especially teaching them tricks. Del had a warm, kind and loving heart, and made others feel they were special to her. Her advice to family was to “make the most of every day and every opportunity because you never know where they will take you.” Her father, Clarence Svendby, (1901–1981) was Chief of Forestry at the National Resources Conservation Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a tree nursery owner in Fort Scott, Kansas, and worked for USAID in the District of Columbia and overseas. Del’s mother, Ethel M. Dawson, (1903–1999) was a college secretary, a volunteer for a Veterans Administration hospital, and teacher of English as a Second Language. Survivors include daughters Anne Marie Willis (Shell Kimble) of Riverdale Park, Maryland, Lyn Harris of Fairfax, Virginia, and Claire (Dan) Haverstock of Fairfax, Virginia; her beloved grandchildren, Maya and Arlette Willis, Lulu Harris, and Eliza and Nathan Haverstock; and her dear brother, Keith Alan (Barbara) Svendby, of Fairhope, Alabama. She will also be greatly missed by all her nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m. at St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church, 4801 Ravensworth Road, Annandale VA 22003, www.st-barnabaschurch.org, Phone: 703-941-2922. In lieu of flowers, donations in Del’s memory may be made to St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church, or A Forever Home Rescue Foundation (dog rescue nonprofit), www.aforeverhome.org, P.O. Box 222801, Chantilly VA 20153-2801, Phone: 703-961-8690.