Richard J. Deily

Richard died peacefully on January 19, 2026, at the age of 100. He was born on July 19, 1925, in Emery, South Dakota, to Dr. Henry Clay Deily and Mabel Deily. Richard enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 and he was commissioned after completing officer candidate school at Notre Dame University. He served from November 1943 until July 1946, which included assignment aboard the battleship USS New Jersey in the Pacific Theater, and later serving as the executive officer of a Naval support vessel stationed in Shanghai, China. Upon his separation from service in 1946, Richard entered Creighton University, graduating from the School of Law in 1950 and passing the Bar Exam in Nebraska.
Richard joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1950, served a year at the Cleveland Field Office, and then moved to the Washington, DC. Field Office where he worked until 1965. He then moved to FBI Headquarters, specializing in civil rights, bombing, and anti-riot investigations. Richard worked for the FBI until he retired from the Bureau in 1978. He then worked in various security-related jobs until his final retirement.
Richard met Rosemary Hottinger soon after moving to the FBI field office in Washington, DC, where Rosemary was employed as an in-house nurse. Richard and Rosemary married in 1952, and their love for and dedication to each other lasted for 64 years. They were longtime active parishioners of St. Camillus and then Resurrection Catholic Churches. Richard and Rosemary raised five children in Silver Spring, Maryland, with life revolving around the St. Camillus parish church, school, and CYO teams, and the activities of their children at Our Lady of Good Counsel and Regina High Schools.
Richard is survived by his five children: Richard "Hank" Deily (Colleen) of North Potomac, Maryland; Mary Beth Deily of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Theresa "Terri" Geck (Duane) of San Rafael, California; John Deily (Karolyn) of Washington, DC; Barbara Gauthier (Richard) of Great Falls, Virginia; and 11 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
A funeral mass celebrating Richard's life will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Church of the Resurrection, 3315 Greencastle Rd., Burtonsville, MD 20866. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Riderwood Benevolent Care Fund, 3110 Gracefield Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904. In Memorial: Richard J. Deily.