Del found accounting to be very interesting and challenging when in high school and received top marks in grades 11 and 12 (unlike his other studies). In those years he had a small cliental of customers in his hometown of Lanigan Saskatchewan which launched him into pursuing an accounting degree the old fashioned way. The small town and rural connections gave much experience in farms and small business.
Del also married his high school sweetheart, Phyllis in 1966 and eventually had three children with two from Ethiopia added in, plus nineteen grandchildren. With credit to his high school training, in his first year as an accounting student, he received highest marks in Saskatchewan in accounting.
They moved to Grande Prairie in 1968 where Del was a student with Nash & Nash, a predecessor firm to Fletcher Mudryk LLP and received his accountant’s degree in 1972. Del immediately set up on his own and in 1981, he and Gary Kohlsmith formed a new firm of Davis & Kohlsmith, which soon became Davis, Kohlsmith & Kay in 1982
Hilda Kay and Del formed their own firm of Davis, Kay & Co in 2007 and in 2017 that firm merged with Rozema Lofstrom Kimble LLP which was the firm that evolved out of the previous partnership of Davis, Kohlsmith & Kay after Gary retired. This, in a unique and curious way brings most of the previous players back together again under the same roof, so to speak.
Del is (supposedly) retired, but still enjoys assisting many of his farm clients with their annual tax returns. He also dabbles in a couple of small business ventures with some friends and helps his family with their business pursuits.
