Adria Kay (Krause) DeLay
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 11 hours, 19 minutes AGO
Adria DeLay leaves behind an extensive family, who lovingly knew her as their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother and a loving woman. She will be missed.
Adria DeLay was known as a "feisty fireball" and stuck by her family with love, joy and a passion for quality time with those she cared for.
Adria Kay (Krause) DeLay was born in Kimball, Neb., on Sept. 20, 1933, and passed away Dec. 26, 2025, in Moses Lake, Wash., at the age of 92.
Adria had a peaceful and gentle passing from this life into the arms of her beloved Heavenly Father. Having lived the last 11 years of her life with Alzheimer’s, the family takes delight in knowing how surprised she must have been to find so many family members waiting for her.
She was preceded in death by husband, Roland, and children, Shane, Ron and Melanie Miller.
She is survived by four children (Kim DeLay, Kelly DeLay, Shannon Maginn and Debbie Polito), 20 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Adria was the seventh child of 11 children in her family. Her family was transient, following the seasonal work in western states. She shared stories of her brothers placing her in the cotton bag before it got weighed, and then they doubled back and got her! With her mother’s passing, Adria and her older sister became the caretakers of the little ones and the household, forcing her out of school after the sixth grade. All this hands-on learning gave her what she needed to raise her own large family.
Adria married Roland Eugene DeLay in 1954, in Sunnyside, Wash. Shortly after that, the whole DeLay family moved to the Royal Slope, where they farmed on Grandpa Ted’s property, just above MarDon Resort. Seven kids made her a stay-at-home kind of mom, but as they got older and could go with her, she would work her summers in the fields. As they began to graduate and find their own way, she went to work as a cook in several local restaurants.
Adria, though small in stature, was a feisty little fireball, loved by all who knew her. She was steadfast (or as some would say, stubborn) in her beliefs, opinions and love for her family. She lived a simple life and loved the simple things: working in her yard, jigsaw puzzles, picking rocks, hunting for driftwood, autobiographies, crossword puzzles and any time spent with family.
Family would not be surprised if she hadn’t gathered her heavenly family around a kitchen table with a fresh pot of coffee for stories and lots of laughter.
At Adria’s request, there will be no funeral service, but the family would appreciate any photos or memories being shared at https://bit.ly/ADRIADELAY.
Adria DeLay was known as a "feisty fireball" and stuck by her family with love, joy and a passion for quality time with those she cared for.