Anthony Louis DeLuca

Anthony Louis DeLuca January 17, 1941 — May 3, 2021 Anthony Louis “Tony” DeLuca was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on January 17, 1941. His father, Peter DeLuca, was an immigrant from Italy and his mother, Mary George DeLuca, was a child of immigrants from Lebanon. In 1946 the family moved to Detroit, Michigan. He became a U.S. citizen in 1952. Anthony attended school at St. Anthony Catholic School until the ninth grade, when he transferred to East Detroit High School. He worked briefly for his father laying concrete. Anthony was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1963 and was stationed in Seattle. It was there that he met Valerie Spaith, a United Airlines stewardess from California. They were married in Detroit on April 21, 1967. Tony and Valerie purchased a home in the suburb of Sterling Heights, Michigan. Tony went to work for Detroit Plastics and Moulding, where he later became a licenced electrician in 1968. In 1974, he was hired as an electrician at the Chrysler Plant in Hamtramck. Tony and Valerie purchased several rental properties, and Tony used his handyman skills to maintain them. In 1972 Tony and Valerie adopted a baby boy, Todd DeLuca. A daughter, Shawnna, was adopted in 1976. With their family now complete, the DeLucas moved west to Colorado. After a brief stay in Northglenn, they had a new home built in the south suburbs of Littleton. Valerie had to fulfill a year’s commitment at a full time position, so Tony stayed home to care for the children until a part time position became available for Valerie. He went back to work for several electric companies before starting his own business, DeLuca Electric, in 1984. His business was successful, particularly during Denver’s housing boom in the 1990’s. His customers trusted his honest work, and he made many lifelong friends in the construction industry. His son, Todd, worked for him during the summers and learned many valuable skills. Tony was a man who learned by doing, and his skill set extended far beyond his electrical trade. Tony and Valerie did major renovation projects to their homes in both Michigan and Colorado, and did most of the work themselves. Over the course of his life, Tony has done concrete, plumbing repairs, carpentry, tile, minor car repairs, and even laid some brick. After his retirement in the late 1990’s, he stayed active. He rescued the kids when they had car trouble and helped them with repairs and renovations on their own homes. He joined Valerie on her many entrepreneurial ventures, which included a party planning service, craft shows, selling balloons and gifts to hospital gift shops, and a balloon-wrapping kiosk in the mall. He also used his handyman skills to help Valerie and Todd with their fix-and-flip real estate ventures. Tony first became a grandfather in 1994 with the birth of his granddaughter, Natalie Graham. Grandson Benjamin Morris came later, in 2007. Tony enjoyed being a grandfather, and loved to spoil the grandchildren. He was always happy to babysit, drive them to practice, and attend school events. He was a child at heart himself, and always had fun with them. Tony had a vibrant character and loved life. He is remembered as a funny man with a robust sense of adventure. He traveled many places and visited his family often. He loved good food, good music, and classic cars. Above all, he loved his wife and family. Tony passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 3, 2021 with his wife of fifty-four years at his side. He is survived by his wife, Valerie (Spaith) DeLuca, son Todd DeLuca, daughter Shawnna (DeLuca) Morris, son-in-law Tim Morris, granddaughter Natalie Graham, grandson Benjamin Morris, sisters Shirley (DeLuca) Mouton, Janet (DeLuca) Tines, brother Peter DeLuca, and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements for the funeral mass and burial will be announced later. If you would like to offer an expression of sympathy, the family welcomes donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in lieu of flowers.