Joseph P. DeLio

March 30, 1923 – March 24, 2007

Heaven has welcomed a new saint, Joe DeLio. He passed into the arms of Jesus on Saturday, March 24, 2007. Joe was born in Denver, CO on March 30, 1923 to Carolena (Lena) (DeLeo) and Joseph DeLio. He graduated from Fort Lupton High School in June 1940, where he was active in football, basketball, and track. He was also President of the National Honor Society. On January 27, 1943, he enlisted into the US Army Air Force. He received basic training at Sheppards Field, TX, and ofcer's training at Randolph Field, TX. He attended Radio School at Sioux Falls, SD; Gunnery School at Yuma, AZ; crew formation at Salt Lake City, UT; and crew transition training in Rapid City, SD. His nickname was "Sparks," from the electric sparks of the radio. He flew in a new B- 17G from Kearney, NE to Prestwick Isle, Scotland, then to assignment with the 334th Bomber Squad, 95th Bombardment Group in June 1944.

DeLio flew on the second shuttle mission to Poltava, Ukraine, then to Foggia, Italy, and then returned to the base in England. During his 11th mission on August 25, 1944, his plane took a direct hit by German Anti-Aircraft re over Politz, near the target at Peenemunde where V-2 rockets were produced which caused the plane to explode. He was knocked unconscious; however, he opened his chute upon revival at 3,000 feet above a German flak battery. He evaded capture with Lt. Frank Whalen for 10 days. They were caught riding a freight train toward the Baltic Sea. After arriving on September 12, 1944, he was interrogated at Frankfurt, and then taken by troop train to Stalag Luft IV in Grosstychow, a prison camp in the Pomeranian sector of Northern Germany, now a part of Poland. When the Russian Offensive threatened to engulf Stalag Luft IV, he, and the other prisoners were forced to join the Black Hunger March.

On February 6, 1945 about 10,000 prisoners, in groups of 800-1000, were ordered to leave the camp on foot after only a few hours notice, marching up to 800 miles across Germany to escape the Russians during the coldest winter in decades. It was known as the Black Hunger March because of the malnutrition, rampant disease, frostbite and much more. Joe took cigarette wrappers apart and, using pipe cleaners, made a book in which he listed every single town they marched through. His family holds that makeshift book, and other mementos he saved from those difficult days, among their most treasured possessions. After 82 days, he was liberated by the 101st Airborne, on April 16, 1945, at Halle, Germany. So it was that six decades ago, a man whose bravery and personal endurance and sacrice helped to guarantee the liberties and the freedoms we take for granted himself became a free man.

He was discharged on October 26, 1945, at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver CO. He received two Purple Hearts, the POW Medal, the European Theatre Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Air Medal. He received his BA in 1949 and his MA in 1950 at the University of Northern Colorado. He also received another MA in vocational counseling in 1962 from Colorado State University. Joe was a member of Lambda Gamma Kappa Fraternity and President of the Blue Key Honor Society at UNC during 1948-1949. After 37 years with Denver Public Schools, Joe DeLio retired as a college counselor in 1986.

He married Peggy Prokesh on September 1, 1955 in Denver, CO. They had three daughters, Kitty, Heidi, and Becky, all of whom were competitive figure skaters and performed professionally with the Ice Capades. When Joe and Peggy accompanied their daughters down to the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, he started watching Walter Mackay, the Zen master of skate sharpening. When Mackay died of a heart attack, the legendary coach Carlo and Christa Fassi asked Joe if he could sharpen skates. Joe never had. Sure I can, he told Fassi. To accomplish his goal of the perfect sharpening, he applied his techniques of gem polishing and silversmithing that he taught in night school. He created a unique polishing tool. He studied skates, their edges, and the blade design. Christa later wrote a note to Joe saying that, "Carlo always knew you were the one who helped make the magic happen. He never trusted anyone else." While his girls were skating Joe opened Joe's Skate Services where he sharpened ice skates for 39 years in Colorado. He calculated that he had sharpened over 75,000 pairs of blades over the years. Some were Olympic champions such as Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, Robin Cousins, and Scott Hamilton and Olympic Silver Medalist, Paul Wylie, 10 World Medalists, and many U.S. National medalists in all levels and all disciplines. Still others were champions of other countries such as Italy, Sweden, Australia, the former Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, South Korea and Japan. Joe DeLio competently and calmly handled blades as part of Skater Services at several U.S. National Championships, solving countless ice side emergencies with equipment. Scott Hamilton, who affectionately dubbed Joe, the "Blade Doctor," called him the Michelangelo of skate technicians, and described DeLio as "a spectacular human being." When interviewed for an article for the Rocky Mountain News recently, Hamilton commented, "Without Joe, I don't know if I would've won the Olympics. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my skates." Hamilton also said that what made DeLio such a luminous soul is, "He's always cared for the kids. No matter what level, what stage of their careers they're at he always treats everybody and their equipment the same."

He lived by the saying that is engraved near his workbench at the South Suburban Ice Arena, the one that read, "No Extra Charge for the Magic." Joe thought that if the kids believed he was putting magic in their skates, they would skate better. Once, a package of skates arrived from France in 1984. It was addressed to "Skate Sharpener, Colorado, USA 80123." It reached Joe. By then, even the post office knew about the Blade Doctor. Joe DeLio held the rank of Competition and Gold Test US Figure Skating Judge, and was an honorary board member of the club he helped charter, the Colorado Skating Club. The South Rink of the South Suburban Ice Arena has been named after him, since he gave so much to the skating world.

Joe was preceded in death by his mother, father, stepfather, Glen Davenport; aunt, Virginia Clarke; two sisters, Julia Newman and Lorene Hause; brother, Avery Davenport; and brothers-in-law, Joe Prokesh and Leland Barr. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Peggy Prokesh DeLio; daughter Kathleen (Kitty) DeLio, her fiancé , Jeff LaForte and his two children, Matthew and Kathryn LaForte of Denver; daughter and husband, Heidi and Paul Thibert, and grandchildren, Lance and Katrina of Fort Collins; daughter, Becky DeLio-Trampler, and husband Brian Trampler, and grandchildren, Ethan and Nicoleigh Trampler of Denver; nieces and nephews, Daniel, Roxann, and Daren (Butch) Hause, Shelly Doll, Michael Newman, Susan Ates; sister-in-law, Jaclyn Prokesh; brother-in law and wife, David and Carol Prokesh; brother-in-law, Ron Prokesh; sister-in-law, MaryGail Barr; sister-in-law, Dorothy Prokesh; step-brother-in-law, Leland and Shirley Watts; nieces, Pamela Noonan; Abbigail Johnson; Tammy Jo Larson; Melanie Ludvik; David Prokesh, Jr.; Shannon Otte; Candace Cruickshank; and many grand-nieces and nephews, several cousins and numerous friends.

When those whose lives he touched with his gifts reflect on the kind of person Joe DeLio was, they inevitably mention his kindness and his integrity. Joe believed that there was right and there was wrong, and he never expected less of himself than to do the right thing even if it was the more difficult of the choices. Along with his characteristic kindness and concern for all those who knew him, his integrity and honesty was the real "magic" that he sprinkled on our lives. That magic will live on in his children as they celebrate the privilege of having such a tremendous father, in his grandchildren as their hero is now also their angel, and all those who loved him who will remember him as a person of character. His family meant everything to him, and he was a devoted husband and father. Joe will be dearly missed by his family and by his many, many friends.

Visitation is Saturday, March 31, 2:30-4:30 pm, at Fairmount Mortuary. Memorial service is Sunday, April 1, 2007 at 4:30pm at Trinity United Methodist Church, 18th and Broadway, Denver, Colorado. Graveside services with military honors will be at the Fairmount Cemetery, 430 S. Quebec St, in Denver, on Monday, April 2, 2007 at 10:00 am. Memorial contributions may be made to: Rocky Mountain Cancer Center-Midtown, 1800 Williams St., Denver,CO 80218, www.coloradocancercenters.com/; World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs. CO 80906-3697, www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Home_Page.htm; U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs. CO 80906-3697, www.usgureskating.org/ About.asp?id=9637. Friends may send condolences to the family at 5733 W. Marquette Dr, Denver 80235.