PAUL DELANEY Jr.

1941 - 2021

Paul H. DeLaney, Jr  
Paul Henry DeLaney, Jr. passed away peacefully Friday evening, December 17, 2021, while in hospice care. Paul was a man of faith, who will best be remembered for his positive nature and fierce determination. He valued his family above all else and was always there to help a friend, mentor a colleague, or serve those in need. Born in Rogersville, Tennessee, on May 21, 1941, Paul was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, the oldest of his siblings: Gale Porter Kyle DeLaney and Katherine DeLaney Stewart. His parents were Paul and Alma DeLaney. Paul was married for forty-nine years to his loving wife, Marguerite Tokarz DeLaney. Paul was an Eagle Scout, outstanding scholar and athlete and was a 1963 graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he went on to earn a law degree in 1966. While at Vanderbilt, Paul played on the basketball team and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He had a great passion for athletics throughout his life and paid his way through law school coaching and refereeing youth sports and playing semi-pro basketball. After law school, Paul moved to Washington, DC. He served at the Department of Commerce and the White House as a senior official on international economics and trade issues, and then opened up his own international law practice. Over the next five decades, Paul built a successful legal practice with international cases that spanned six continents, including playing an instrumental role in the historic lifting of the Soviet Grain Embargo in 1981. Paul undertook extensive pro bono work, including his efforts on behalf of the Nature Conservancy to secure the passage of national conservation easement legislation to protect land and biodiversity across the country. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Theodore Roosevelt Society and Trinity College of Washington. Paul was a member of St. Albans Church and of the Metropolitan Club of Washington, DC. Paul is survived by his wife; his two children: Paul Henry DeLaney III (wife Meg) and G. Porter DeLaney (wife Betsy); his nephew Stanley Porter Stewart; and his four grandchildren: Lucy, Charlotte, William, and Maia. He was affectionately known by his grandchildren as Gandalf and embodied many of the traits of the wizard from the Lord of the Rings who said: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." His ashes will be laid to rest alongside his family members at the Rogersville Presbytrian Church in Rogersville, TN. There will be a memorial service in Washington, DC at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Capital Caring Health - Hospice Care and St. Albans Church, Washington, DC.