George Edward Delehanty, 89, of Highland, NY died peacefully in Valhalla, NY on January 10th, after battling Alzheimer’s with strength and grace.
George is survived by his long-term companion Viviana Diana, with whom he shared great friendship and love for the last 30 years. He is also survived by his five children, his older sister Rita and younger brothers John and William.
Born in the throes of the Depression on a poor farm in Kilkenny, Minnesota, George left home to attend the University of Minnesota on a Naval ROTC scholarship before earning a Ph.D in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Post-ROTC, George served his country with pride as a Naval officer, developing a lifelong love of travel.
George was a professor of economics at Northwestern University through the 1960s and early 1970s, before embarking on a career abroad with the Rockefeller Foundation. With the Foundation, George and his family lived in Bangkok, Thailand and Nairobi, Kenya. He concluded his career as an administrator for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. George remained passionate about education and travel, and traveled widely with his family throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and East Africa.
George retired in the New Paltz, NY area in the mid-1990s. He spent his last 30-plus years working with dozens of people in recovery, and was deeply involved in the AA community.
George loved meeting people and engaging in spirited conversation. He read widely, with particular interests in history, science and human behavior, loved classical music, was rarely seen without a crossword puzzle under his arm, and was a dedicated audiophile, generously sharing equipment he acquired.
An online memorial service for friends and family is scheduled for January 23 at 12:00 p.m. Information on the memorial service can be found here: https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/GeorgeDelehanty/
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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