Frank J. Delimba, 89, of
Ironwood Township, Mich., passed away peacefully on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in
Hanover Park, with his wife of sixty-four years, Shirley, by his side.
The first son of Frank and Josephine (Wawer)
Dolimba, Frank was born in Ironwood on Dec. 22, 1923, and raised in Jessieville.
He attended Newport Grade School and graduated in June 1942 from Luther L.
Wright High
School. After briefly working in Detroit, he was
drafted into the Army in January 1943, serving as an infantryman with the
Americal Division, 132nd Infantry Regiment, in the jungles of New Caledonia,
Guadalcanal, Bougainville and the Philippines. Twice wounded, he was awarded the
Purple Heart and nominated for the Silver Star. He left the Army of Occupation
(Japan) in 1945 and returned home. On May 4, 1949, Frank was married to Shirley
Jean Wheeler of Hurley, Wis. and set up residence in Ironwood, where he worked
at the Geneva Mine and served as a union officer in Steelworker's Local 1922
until the mine's closure. After working for two years with the Gogebic County
Equalization Department, Frank spent the next 25 years with the Department of
Labor's Mining Health and Safety Administration, where he rose through the ranks
from inspector to the agency's chief of safety. In 1973, he was awarded the
Medal of Valor by Interior Secretary Rogers Morton for rescuing the only two
survivors of the Sunshine Mine Disaster. During the Carter Administration, he
chaired the committee that wrote the existing MSHA standards protecting worker
safety. At retirement in 1994, he was Acting Administrator for all of
MSHA. A lifelong hunter and fly fisherman, Frank
also found time to be a Scout leader, chairman of the Young Dems, Babe Ruth
Baseball coach and solid fan of all Detroit sports teams. Following retirement, Frank and Shirley
returned to Ironwood in 1994 and set up camp on Mountain View Road, where they
welcomed the visits of their children, George, Kathleen, Frank and Jane, 17
grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, for nearly 20 years. For the past
two years, Frank and Shirley have lived with their two daughters in Hanover
Park. Originally a member of St. Michael's Parish in Ironwood, Frank has been a
member of Our Lady of Peace Parish since 1994. Besides his wife Shirley, children, George
(Kathy) and Frank (Maureen) Delimba, Kathleen Shook and Jane Delimba,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Frank is survived by a sister, Helen
Soltys, of Chicago; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Kevin Delimba; two brothers,
John and Steve Koszloski; and a sister, Stella Marconeri. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated
Saturday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m., preceded by visitation in the St. Joseph Family
Room at 10 a.m., at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Ironwood, with the Rev.
Michael Hayden, celebrant. Rite of Committal and interment will follow
in Riverside Cemetery, Ironwood, where full military honors will be accorded by
the Ironwood American Legion Post 5 Honor Guard. Luncheon will be served in the parish hall
immediately upon return from the cemetery. Pallbearers will be Ed, Justin and
Jordan Shook, Rich and Logan Brown and Chris Delimba. Arrangements have been entrusted to
McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home, Inc., Ironwood, where condolences may be given
online at mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com.