San Joaquin County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....DeLap, George R April 26 2004 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kellie Crnkovich markkell95@aol.com May 25, 2004, 11:53 pm Originally published in the Tracy Press on Wednesday, April 28, 2004. George R. DeLap Nov. 6, 1911 — April 26, 2004 Graveside services will be Saturday morning for George R. DeLap, 92, a retired Oregon educator and coach who became an active member of the Tracy art community for three decades. He died Monday evening at his Tracy home following a long illness. A native of Colfax, Wash., Mr. DeLap attended school in Steptoe Butte, Wash., and later in Pullman, Wash., where his mother ran a boarding house across the street from the Washington State University gymnasium. He attended Washington State, where he was senior intramural sports manager and president of Sigma Chi fraternity, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After teaching in Joseph, Ore., he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was stationed at Crows Landing Naval Auxiliary Landing Field and then served aboard a combat carrier in the Pacific Ocean and was present for the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in August 1945. Mr. DeLap married Kate Weston of Tracy in 1946. He was recreation director and coach at the Wainwright Village public housing project and manager of Tracy’s city league softball program. Mr. DeLap was also a teacher, coach and administrator in high schools in eastern Oregon 35 years. He coached Echo High School’s undefeated state basketball champions in 1953 and was noted for his innovations. His boys’ basketball team used an oxygen tank at every timeout and outran opponents. His football teams, several times district champions, were among the first to use a no-huddle offense. At Hermiston High School, where he was basketball coach and athletic director, his teams went to the state tournament several times. In Hermiston, he was also chairman of the Oregon Trail District of Boy Scouts of America. Mr. DeLap retired in 1974, and two years later, he and his wife moved from Hermiston to Tracy. Mr. DeLap took the bus to the Bay Area to attend art classes and became an award-winning painter. He was one of the founders of the Tracy Art League in 1980 and later served as president. In addition to painting, he followed in the footsteps of his father-in-law, W.P. Weston, by collecting, cutting and polishing rock. He also took up jewelry- making, glass-cutting and wood-carving. An avid reader, his hobby in recent years was collecting books. Survivors include his wife, Kate DeLap of Tracy; three daughters, Margaret Kalvaitis of Virginia Beach, Va., Donna DeLap of Irvine and May DeLap of Portland, Ore; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Also surviving are brothers-in-law Tom Weston and Willy Weston, and his wife, Sis, all of Tracy; sisters-in-law Elaine DeLap of Sequim, Wash., June Weston of Palm Springs and Bette Butters of Carlsbad; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his parents, Samuel Jonah and Hattie Austin DeLap; three sisters, Allie Hood, Grace Luchte and Donna Honey; a brother, Raymond DeLap; and a brother-in-law, Ky Weston. Saturday’s inurnment service will begin at 11 a.m. at Tracy Cemetery, 600 E. Schulte Road. Hotchkiss Mortuary, 5 W. Highland Ave., is handling arrangements. The family prefers memorial contributions in Mr. DeLap’s name be made to the St. Bernard’s Catholic Church Building Fund, 163 E. Eaton Ave., Tracy 95376; or to the Tracy Art League, P.O. Box 519, Tracy 95378. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 3.9 Kb