Stephen Michael Delaney

Stephen (Steve) Michael Delaney, known to family as “Bonk”, passed away unexpectedly at Penrose Hospital on Sunday April 15th, 2012. He was 61 years old. Steve was born in Norfolk, Nebraska to Forest E. and Betty Jean (Harns) Delaney. Steve’s early years were spent mainly in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Sterling, Colorado. He was honored to be the recipient of a prestigious National Merit Scholarship and graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a degree in electrical engineering.

In 1971, Steve met Janet Pollock while she was visiting her sister in Sterling. They were married the next year at the same church where they met, Faith United Methodist. Steve was commissioned into the United States Air Force in that same year and began his career as a proud fighter pilot. Steve and Janet had two children and traveled the globe with the Air Force for 24 years before settling in Colorado Springs in 1996. Steve’s second career was as a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin, but his lust for adventure only grew stronger. Steve and Janet vacationed all over the world. Some of their greatest adventures included Scotland, Australia, and they are two of the few who can list Antarctica on their travel resumes.

It wasn’t all for fun though; Steve was extremely active at church and with numerous charities. He and Janet traveled on home building mission trips after Hurricane Katrina in the gulf coast states. Steve spent most of his free time helping others be they family, friends, or strangers. He was an active organizer of the local CROP hunger walk and thoroughly enjoyed his yearly participation in the Feed My Starving Children campaign. Steve was also a music lover and most recently played the Euphonium in the Colorado Springs Concert Band and each year he proudly froze in Acacia Park to join in the “Tuba Christmas” concert.

Above all else, Steve was a family man with a great sense of humor and quick wit. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Janet (Pollock) Delaney and two children Jennifer (Delaney) Culbertson and Brian Delaney and his wife Jaime (Collins) Delaney, all of Colorado Springs and a sister Diane (Delaney) Coleman, husband Rob Coleman, and a brother William Delaney, wife Valerie (McComb) Delaney all of Cheyenne. Steve is also survived by his 5 grandchildren; Abigail Culbertson, Emily Culbertson, Lily Delaney, Jacob Culbertson, and Owen Delaney who were a great source of joy for him and affectionately known by individualized vegetable nicknames. He was preceded in death by his parents; Forest E Delaney of Cheyenne and Betty Jean (Harns) Delaney of Sterling.

Services will be held at 10am on April 20th, 2012 at Sunrise United Methodist Church, 2655 Briargate Boulevard, Colorado Springs. A private burial will follow at the Mountain View Cemetery in Nunn, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to one of Steve’s favorite charities, The Tennyson Center for Children in Denver and/or the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Colorado Springs.