Nov.
11, 1917 - Jan. 27, 2009SOUTH BEND - James Lester Delahanty, 91, passed away January 27, 2009. James was born on November 11, 1917, in Detroit, MI, to the late Edward Lawrence and Pearl Rivard Delahanty. The family moved to South Bend in 1930 where Edward was employed by the Studebaker Corporation. James is survived by his wife, Maggielee (Lancaster) Delahanty. They were married on May 10, 1941 in St. Matthews Catholic Church in South Bend, now called St. Matthews Cathedral. He is also survived by a daughter, Kathleen (William) Stover of St. Petersburg, FL; son, James Jr. (Sue Carrico) Delahanty of West Branch, MI; son, Kevin (Patricia Cudahy) Delahanty of Lawton, MI; and daughter, Jane (Jay) Edmonds of Paola, KS; brother, Thomas of South Bend; and sister, Evelyn Beeler of Bristol. Also surviving are seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Edward, Jr. and two sisters, Marie Thompson and Pearl Shippam. Mr. Delahanty attended Central High School and graduated from Notre Dame in 1940 with a degree in Business Administration. He also attended Indiana University of South Bend. While pursuing his education at Notre Dame, he was employed at Studebaker and served as Sports Editor of the Studebaker Spot Light. After graduation from Notre Dame, Mr. Delahanty went with Automotive News in Detroit as Associate Editor. He returned to South Bend and went with the Uniroyal Corp. until his retirement in 1967. During WWII, Jim enlisted and graduated from the United States Naval War College in Plattsburg, NY. He has always been closely connected to Notre Dame and served as the permanent reunion chairman until 2000. He was given the honor of "Man of the Year" by his fellow classmates. He attended every ND home game from 1939 to 2001, when it became more enjoyable to watch them on T.V. Jim was a life member of the Elks Lodge 235 in South Bend and served as the Inspector on Election Day for many years. A Memorial Mass will be held at Saint Anthony de Padua Catholic Church on Monday, Feb. 2 at 10:30 a.m. where the family will receive friends a half hour prior to the mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, or to the donor's choice. To send condolences, please visit www.mcgannhay.com.