Sunday, April 23, 2023, God reaped the wonderful human being that we affectionately called Albert J. Deloney, III; “Butch”, “Daddy”, “Grandpa”, “Uncle”, and “good friend”, from born to the place prepared for him by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
On 08/14/1948, Albert James Deloney, III, was born in Chicago, Illinois to the late Blanchie Mae Cleary Deloney and Albert J. Deloney Jr. He was the eldest of three children. He accepted Christ as his Savior at an early age at West Point Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. Butch graduated with the 1966 class of Parker High School in Chicago.
Before volunteering for the army, Butch worked at Underwriter's Labatories, Chicago IL in 1966-1967 as an Apprentice in their Fire Protection and Safety Lab. The rest of his employment life involved the United States Army. After retiring, he worked as a consultant for the Army in South Korea for over twenty years. He was destined to be in the army. He was a faithful boy scout and became a member of the Order of the Arrow. In 1967, following in his father’s footsteps, Butch volunteered for military service in the U.S. Army. He finished Basic Training, then attended Infantry and Paratrooper Training. He later served courageously as a decorated and highly skilled Combat Soldier in Vietnam, where he was seriously wounded in the now infamous battle known as "Hamburger Hill," which is memorialized in the 1987 film of that same name. Following the war, he served in numerous roles as he rose through the NCO ranks, ultimately achieving the rank of Master Sargent (Msg). While he was in Korea, he lost day to day contact his family. His sisters would hear from him sporadically on birthdays. When he called in 2020 asking if he was welcome to come home, he was welcomed with open arms and hearts. He made it clear he did not want to interfere with the lives of his loved ones, he just wanted to be near us. He kept his word.
Whenever someone called him to say they were coming to visit, his response was always the same. “Don’t come to see about me.” Butch knew God would provide; and God did. He didn’t get out of the nursing home very much unless he had appointments at the Veteran’s Hospital OR he was attending sporting events of his great nephews and niece. He enjoyed visits from family members, friends, and Tootie’s friend, Mindy. He made many friends at the nursing home. His nurses, Brittany and Samantha as well as nurse attendant, Robert were AWESOME, and made sure all of his medical needs and some personal were met. There were others, but these three people stand out. Then there was his roommate, Ed Cotton, along with his sister Anne, who kept Butch with very interesting conversation. The bond between these two could only be broken by death.
Butch was preceded in death by his parents; one brother-in-law Ben Henderson and nephew Benjamin A. Henderson.
Albert James Deloney, III leaves to mourn: son; Albert J. Deloney, IV, daughter, Temika Bynum Deloney, their mother, Yvonne Hawkins Deloney; grandsons, Alexander Deloney, Albert James Deloney, V, and Andrew Deloney. His former wife; Chong Ja Deloney “O”: His sisters; Sylvia F. Deloney Lane, “Tootie” (Indianapolis) and Ellen Lucinda “Cindy” Henderson (Sycamore, Illinois), nieces Samantha Lane Franklin (Kenny) and Heather Nicole Henderson. He is also survived by a host of cousins.
And then there is Bernard Thompson (Sylvia) of Alexandria, Va. Bernard and Butch are lifelong friends. Please read his tribute; “An Ode to Butch”, Bernard acted as big brother to Tootie and Cindy while Butch was away; He and his family were pseudo parents to Samantha while she attended Hampton University. Bernard stood in for Samantha’s dad and danced with her on her wedding day. We love him.
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