MANUEL “DEL” ODELON DELGADO, Jr., son of Manuel Odelon Delgado, Sr. and Lucile Rutledge Delgado, passed away at the age of 85 on January 27, 2014, following a brief illness.

Del was born on December 9, 1928, in La Ceiba, Honduras, and spent his youth in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from St. Aloysius High School and entered Tulane University at the age of 17.

Del was a lifelong sailor who first found his way onto a sailboat after standing at the end of a Southern Yacht Club (SYC) dock until someone took pity on him and brought him aboard as crew. This marked the beginning of a 75-year love affair with sailing and the ocean.

In 1948, Mr. Delgado interrupted his education to join the United States Navy. He trained as a Naval Aviator in Jacksonville, Florida, and was assigned to the USS Midway, Air Group 4, where he served during the Korean War. He piloted the F4U-4 “Bug Swacker” Corsair.

While serving in the Navy, Del married the former Lois M. Villars in 1950 while stationed at Naval Air Station Coronado, California. Del was escorted to his wedding aboard a tuna trawler following a wet landing in the Pacific during a training exercise. Despite his efforts to secure passage to Mazatlán with his newfound crew, they dried him off, dressed him up, and delivered him to Coronado just in time for his wedding and the beginning of his 65-year marriage to the new Mrs. Delgado.

LTJG Delgado served in the Navy until December 1956, when he returned to Tulane University and completed his Bachelor of Business Administration degree. After graduation, he worked in the cryogenics industry and circumnavigated the globe in search of potential business opportunities.

Upon returning to New Orleans, he founded Chem Carb CO₂ and served the Gulf Coast region until 1994. Del held a United States patent for an innovative pumping system designed to deliver CO₂ to businesses.

Del and his wife retired to Gulf Breeze, Florida, where they lived from 1994 through 2011 before returning to their beloved hometown of New Orleans. Outside of his Navy service, Del remained an avid aviator and sailor throughout his life. He competed in Luders L-16 class regattas, most recently participating in the Old Timers Regatta at Southern Yacht Club in the summer of 2013. He was a member of the Aviation Midshipman Association, the Lite Blue Angels, and was a QB. He also belonged to the Sons of 1812. Del loved watching the Blue Angels perform and sharing his Naval heritage with his grandchildren.

Mr. Delgado is survived by his beloved wife, Lois Villars Delgado; his brothers, Robert and Rutledge; his three loving daughters, Celene, Odette, and Lisa; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation in Pensacola, Florida, in honor of Lt. Manuel Delgado, USNR. Donations may be made online or mailed to:

National Naval Aviation Museum
c/o Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
1750 Radford Boulevard, Suite B
NAS Pensacola, FL 32508.