Vincent de Paul Daly

Vincent de Paul Daly, 93, of Lawrenceville, NJ, died May 12, 2014.

He was born on April 30, 1921 in Reading, PA, to the late James Daly and Maggie Eagan Daly. He survived 7 older brothers and sisters.

Vince was a graduate of St. Peter's Catholic High School in Reading, Pa. He was an exceptional athlete and in 1939 he was selected to represent St. Peter's in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

After graduating, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was a Crew Flight Chief in the Pacific in WWII. He was a Technical Sergeant and received the Naval Individual Citation from US Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz. The award was "For Heroic Service at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands on November 26, 1943" for assembling the first radio station on the island under Japanese fire to assist the Marine invasion. He served 4 years in the Marines, 30 years with TWA, and 15 years with the corporate travel company, Travelco. The combined 49 years afforded him the opportunity to travel the world.

He was honest, caring, and respectful to all. He possessed a twinkle in his eye that helped him navigate through life with a gentle ease. Everyone he touched in his life he affected in countless positive ways. No finer husband and father ever lived.

He received several honors while at TWA. In 1964 he was awarded The President's Plaque and TWA's Sales Representative of the Year award. In 1967 he was promoted to the staff at TWA's national headquarters in New York City as the Manager of Passenger Sales. After he retired from TWA he accepted an offer to be Executive Vice President of Travelco in Philadelphia.

He was preceded in death by his oldest child, Kathleen, who was the apple of his eye. She passed away at the age of 4. He is survived by his wife, Dariss (nee Chalfont) Daly, of 66 years; his 3 sons: Dennis, Michael, and Tim; 5 grandchildren: Ryan, Kathleen, Paige, Julia, and Mackenzie; and his daughters-in-law, Eleanor and Sue.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Margaret's Church in Reading, PA on Friday, May 16, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. Friends and relatives may call from 11 a.m. until 12 Noon at Feeney Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. Margaret's Church, 925 Centre Avenue, Reading, PA 19601.

Arrangements entrusted to the John P. Feeney Funeral Home, in Reading's Centre Park Historic District. 625 N. 4th St. at Centre Ave (Route 61) Reading, PA 19601. Obituary, directions and condolences at www.johnfeeneyfuneralhome.com.