COLUMBUS – John P. Deley Sr., 85, formerly of Youngstown, passed away peacefully in Sunrise of Gahanna on Friday, August 16, 2024. He was born April 5, 1939, to the late Peter and Anna Molchan Deley. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957 and married the love of his life, the former Carole Magda, on October 2, 1965.
John served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1969 and was stationed in Korea after the war. After his military service, he lived in Youngstown and moved to Poland in 2000. John worked as a mail carrier for 35 years in Poland, Lansingsville and Boardman. Because of his conscientiousness, he was awarded the U.S. Postal Service Safe Driving Award after 25 years of service without an accident. He was also an active member of the local postal workers union.
Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Matthias Church Parish in Youngstown greatly benefited from the service and time John gave to his parish. He enjoyed serving as Vice President of the Parish Council and also served as Chairman of the Administration and Finance Committee, raising money for several improvements to the church and school buildings. He ushered the weekly Mass and could be found cleaning and decorating on holidays. Holy Name also benefited from his service as Treasurer, honoring him as “Servant of the Year” in 1995.
John enjoyed spending time with his family and working long hours in his vegetable garden and flower beds. When he wasn’t raising money or gathering vegetables, he cheered on the Cleveland Browns and Guardians, as well as the Ohio State Buckeyes.
He loved his family very much and was always there for them. He was also a father figure to his children’s friends. He was a great man and we will miss him.
John is survived by his daughter Lisa Deley of Columbus, his son John (Kathy) Deley of Lexington, Kentucky, his grandchildren Allegra (Chase) Arehart and Mason Deley, all of Lexington, Kentucky, his sister Margie Belcik of Youngstown, his brother-in-law Raymond (Leonard) Magda of Atlanta, Georgia, his sister-in-law Linda (Robert) Davenport of Struthers, and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 53 years, Carole (died May 1, 2018), his brothers Frank (Mary) Deley and Peter (Helen) Deley, and his brother-in-law, Michael Belcik.
The viewing will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kubina Yuhasz Wasko Funeral Home in Youngstown. A visitation hour will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish-St. Matthias Church, immediately followed by a Mass of Christian Requiem at 11 a.m. celebrated by the Rev. John Jerek. John will be interred in Calvary Cemetery where he will be given military honors.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741; and Ohio’s Hospice, ohioshospice.org/give/.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Kubina Yuhasz Wasko Funeral Home. To read the obituary and share your condolences, visit Kubina-Yuhasz-Wasko at www.waskofamily.com.
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