John Francis Delaney was born on March 16, 1939, in Los Angeles to Agnes Scally Delaney and Anthony Robert Delaney.
He was the youngest of four boys (Anthony, Patrick and Michael). He passed away in the afternoon on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, at his home in Pasadena, with his two surviving sons, Tom and Kevin, at his side and family members present.
John is survived by two of his three sons, Tom (Cindy) and Kevin (Kim), and eight grandchildren, Sabrina, Sean, Savanna, Joey, Kelly, Matthew, Gloria and Anthony. His eldest son, Tim (Anita), passed away on February 6, 2019.
He grew up in his family’s Dalton Street house in South Los Angeles where he attended Saint Michael’s Catholic Grammar School and Mount Carmel High School. He attended Loyola University in Los Angeles where he was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and where he met Gloria Aurora Gutierrez in 1959. John and Gloria dated, fell in love and were married on July 20, 1963, in Pasadena.
After John was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in January 1964, he and Gloria returned from Fort Hood, Texas, to live in Pasadena and raise their family: Timothy John Delaney (born April 29, 1964); Thomas Anthony Delaney (born May 20, 1967); and Kevin Joseph Delaney (born April 7, 1971).
John enjoyed a successful career in insurance and ultimately worked his way up to vice president of claims at Republic Indemnity Insurance Company. He retired not long after Gloria passed away in 2009.
John enjoyed many aspects of his life. He loved music. He played the piano and the guitar and also loved to sing, whether it was during Sunday Mass or simply among friends and family. He was strong in his Catholic faith and devoted much of his time and energy for decades as a lector, eucharistic minister and singer at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrews Parishes.
He was loyal to the Carmelites, who educated him, and the Christian Brothers, who educated his sons. He strongly supported both Crespi High School and La Salle High School through his service on their volunteer boards, participating in their golf tournaments and as a mentor of students.
He loved humor and was always ready with a joke or some comment designed to make people laugh. Whether during family holiday parties, fundraising events or in everyday conversation, John often earned many hearty laughs, sometimes even from people other than himself.
He loved sports. He grew up playing various sports but spoke most often about his time playing basketball. He enjoyed coaching each of his son’s Little League baseball teams. He also was an avid football fan. He held season tickets to the L.A. Rams for years and enjoyed the weekly football “Pool of Fools” with family and friends. He also very much enjoyed golf, particularly later in his life. For decades, he characterized his golf game as being “in transition.” Still, he loved playing with friends, family and, of course, his sons.
Most of all, he loved spending time with his wife, Gloria. Whether it was traveling the world or attending one of her many work or philanthropic events, John always considered himself lucky just to be with her, even if only “behind the scenes.” After Gloria passed, he found and created a new life with new friends. He also continued many old hobbies, like cribbage and golf, and add some new hobbies, including becoming an avid reader of American political and cultural history with a focus on various influences from Canada and Mexico.
In his final months, John was able to golf more often with his sons and enjoy his grandchildren and their many talents, even if at times through remote access due to the pandemic. Even into his final days, he maintained a unique balance of loving, humorous and recalcitrant behavior, as only he could.
John is loved by his family and all of those with whom he lived, worked, played and laughed. He will be missed by his many family members and friends. He will be in our hearts, minds and spirits forever, now that he has joined Gloria and Tim, among many other family members.
A Rosary will be held Saturday, March 19, at 9:30 a.m., and the Memorial Mass will follow at 10 a.m. both at Saint Philip the Apostle Church, 151 South Hill Ave. in Pasadena.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in John’s name may be made to Crespi Carmelite High School —Student Scholarship Fund, 5031 Alonzo Ave., Encino 91316, or to La Salle High School —Student Scholarship Fund, 3880 East Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena 91107.
