DELONA zinn KI7YMZ
; DeLona met her husband after he had graduated from college and moved to San Jose, California; but their meeting was not the usual way. Ray K7ZIN and a friend obtained a list of all the girls at San Jose State who were of their faith and began dating them one by one. They awarded each girl points on a system they devised. But when Ray met Delona, he stopped keeping score. Three days after their first date he proposed, and they have been married 58 years.
Even though DeLona was interested in elementary education, she also took accounting. Those courses have been most useful to her over the years, as that training enabled her to keep books on the family finances and on their businesses. Her careful record-keeping made it possible for them to save and then to begin investing in rental property. Not only did she manage their growing family, she also managed their rentals, keeping financial records and taking care of the many tasks that responsible owners must face to keep properties rented, clean, and repaired. Meanwhile Ray was working and managing in electronics for well-known companies. When one of his inventions was not in keeping with his company’s direction, his boss suggested that he stop working for others and start his own enterprise. So, Ray and DeLona first tried consumer electronics, assembling well-known products for familiar companies. Never afraid of hard work, Delona now pitched to help with ordering parts and setting up an assembly line in their home, along with keeping all the books and managing the growing needs of their family. Soon the older children could help package electronic games for Atari, Mattel, and others. After a few stumbling attempts outside the semiconductor area, Ray decided to get back into the area he knew best. Since Ray now needed to concentrate on financing and founding Micrel, they decided to sell out and close their other businesses. At last DeLona could concentrate full time on their children and all their activities, and on organizing their home so that it provided refuge for Ray and for all of them. She still does the baking, cooking, and quilt-making she loves to do. Each of their 22 grandchildren has received one of her quilts, in addition to nine great-grandchildren. In 1982, she decided to get a pilot’s license is assist Ray (he got his in 1981) and in case of an emergency while flying. When Ray’s vision was suddenly reduced to 20/400 by a retinal vein occlusion, Delona’s life shifted again. Now with Ray at her side, she learned to repair all kinds of systems: sprinklers, plumbing, and electrical. She learned to do wiring, soldering, and programming. Today she can program a DMR radio and a code plug. She knows how to add a channel. She reads and follows directions step by step and figures out what to do when those directions are not well-written. When Ray wanted to get licensed in amateur radio, DeLona got her Technician ticket, too. DeLona remembers the pleasure her father derived from being a ham. Those memories were in the background as she studied for the Technician exam. Her experiences with electronics over the years had given her an understanding of circuit boards and other elements of radio. Learning the frequencies and the metric system were her only challenges. She passed the test with a higher score than Ray. Although Ray has deservedly received attention over the years for his inventions and accomplishments, DeLona is a powerhouse in her own right and a hero in their long and fruitful partnership. Photos by Ray K7ZIN July-August-September 2019 |
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DeLona regularly interrupts her treadmill session to participate in the ARES net.
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Ray K7ZIN and DeLona KI7YMZ
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