MICHAEL DELANEY

1944 - 2021

DELANEY Michael Leonard Delaney Born on December 8, 1944, at the Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington, DC. He was the son of E.J.M. Delaney and Mildred Lee Brown.

He attended the St. James Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia and Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1968 with a B.A. in History.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1980. His last assignment was on the USS Whipple, a Destroyer Escort. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War and he or his crew received several commendations, including the Sea Service Deployment Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1980 as a Lt. Commander.

In 1978, he married Dyanna R. Park, the love of his life, in Reston, Virginia. They had met years before at Bishop O'Connell High School. After he was discharged from the Navy, he was employed as a Systems Analyst with several companies engaged in government contract work.

From 2010-2015, he was employed by the Office of Transportation Services for the Fairfax County Public Schools.

In 2016, after he was diagnosed as having the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, he began attending the Herndon Adult Day Care Center in Herndon, Virginia, a place he truly enjoyed. He continued attending the center on a regular basis until the center was closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19. Two of his favorite activities were feeding birds and painting. He ensured that the bird feeders at the center and at home were always full.

He once was an avid member of the Washington Hash House Harriers running club. He was also a longtime member and officer of The Cabin John Memorial VFW Post 5633. He served many sequential years as the Post Quartermaster, Post Adjutant, and Post Historian.

He was, above all, a kind and gentle soul. He often said that he loved helping people and was once a volunteer for Capital Hospice. He regularly donated blood to the local American Red Cross. He was a fabulous chef and a history buff. He loved his ushanka, a Russian fur hat. He enjoyed double feature movies, the Vienna Inn, crossword puzzles, Washington's football team, and college football. He loved Linda Ronstadt, Emmy Lou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and the Beatles. He adored all of his stepchildren, their children, his son-in-law and sisters-in-law. He loved his friends and Reston. He was a communicant at St. John Neumann Catholic Church and at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church in Reston.

He died July 10, 2021, following his disappearance from the Reston Hospital Center in May, 2020. The Fairfax County Search and Rescue unit found his remains on July 21, 2021. He is survived by his stepdaughter Courtney Park Jamborsky, her husband Dan, and their children; his stepson Houston S. Park and his family; his sister, Sheila K. Delaney, and his brother, Christopher K. Delaney. His beloved wife, Dyanna, and dear stepson, Brent F. Park, predeceased him in 2017 and 2020 respectively. His funeral will be held on October 22, 2021 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston at 10 a.m. Internment at the Arlington National Cemetery's Columbarium will occur in the future. Those wishing to honor Michael's memory may make donations to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or online at act.alz.org