The Mass of Christian Burial is 10:00 AM Wednesday, February 9th, at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church, burial will be in White Chapel Cemetery. A visitation is from 5-7 PM Tuesday, February 8th, at the McGilley Antioch Chapel where the rosary will be prayed at 5:30 PM.
Michael was born March 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, NY to William and Catherine (Carey) Deery, both from County Donegal, Ireland. He went to Our Lady of Solace grammar school. In 1942, he was graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. He was very proud of his education by the Irish Christian Brothers. After high school, he enlisted in the United State Navy.
After training at Naval Air Stations in Sampson, Memphis, Norfolk, Sands Point, and Honolulu, he was stationed as an US Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate on Tinian Island in the South Pacific. His unit was CASU-44. [50 years after WWII, he organized the first reunion for his Navy buddies. It was held in Kansas City, MO. Mike worked for months to find as many of the group as possible. They continued to meet every year for 20 years, each year hosted by a different CASU alumnus at a different location in the US.]
After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Mike returned to Brooklyn, NY to work for the American Can Company in accounting and purchasing. He met and fell in love with Catherine (Kate) Baksanska who lived on Cropsey Avenue in Brooklyn. They were married in February 1948. Shortly after that, they moved to Rockaway Beach, NY. There they raised three children: Patricia, William, and Michael. In Rockaway, Mike was active in both St. Gertrude’s Church and St . Camillus Church. In 1972, work with American Can took the family to Kansas City, MO. After retirement from the American Can Co. in the early 80s, Mike took a part-time job at Sears.
Mike was a devoted member of St. Andrew the Apostle Church. He loved the traditional Mass and Catholic ritual. He prayed the Rosary almost every day. St. Michael, St. Jude, and St. Anthony were his favorites.
Mike loved his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. He was a fan of baseball [Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Mets, KC Royals], and chocolate ice cream cones. His accounting interest was so firm, the family sometimes called him Mr. Numbers.
Survivors include his wife of 74 years, Catherine Deery of the home; children, Patricia Deery Kurtz and husband, John of Kansas City, William Michael Deery and Michael John Deery, both of Hollywood, FL; 2 grandchildren, Sean Deery and Jaime McDermott and husband, Joseph; 3 great-grandchildren, Brodie, Morgan, and Joseph McDermott; brother-in-law, William Sweeney; many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters and brothers-in-law: Eileen Deery, Margaret Mary Meagher (Thomas), Cathleen Sweeney, and Claire Rudden (John); his sisters-in-law and their husbands: Grace Orlikowski (Mickey), Josephine McGlynn (Dennis), Pauline Bazan, Mary Letourneau (Marcel); and a nephew, Terence Meagher. He talked of them often and greatly missed them.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Gladstone, American Legion 626, or VFW Post 10906.
