DELANSON — William P. Delligan, a dedicated family man who imbued compassion and fatherly guidance to a great many people in his life, died on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was 59. 

Mr. Delligan was born on Feb. 19, 1964 in Albany, New York, the son of a Knox highway worker, Anthony Delligan Sr., and a home health aid, Mary (neé McCullough) Delligan. 

The family lived in the Hilltowns, where Mr. Delligan rode bikes with his childhood friend, Gary Courtright, who remained his close friend for life. 

“Some of the stories I’ve been hearing is that they would do daredevil stuff, like ride their bikes and see who’d stop before the edge of the cliff …,” Mr. Delligan’s wife, Stacy Ann (neé Rarick) Delligan told The Enterprise. “Bill had a lot of friends, but his close friend was Gary.” 

Mr. Delligan met Stacy in Altamont, she said, while he was living in the village on Altamont Boulevard, with his parents, and she was living next to the bowling alley. 

“I used to see him look up from the road all the time,” she said. “He had his two other children from a previous relationship and he would be pushing them in a stroller up to the store and up to the park, so the kids could play in the park.”

Ms. Delligan recalled an exciting second date with her future husband where, on their way to a get-together with family and friends, a police officer tried to pull them over, but rather than stop, the young couple ditched for a corn field and waited out trouble. 

The two later married, on July 1, 1985. 

Family was always central to Mr. Delligan, who had grown up with very little and — now earning his living as a diesel mechanic — wanted his descendents to have a better life. 

“He had a special quality with each and every one of his children,” Ms. Delligan said. “With my son Kevin, it was mechanics; with my son Steven, it was carpentry skills and stuff like that; his daughter Alicia was daddy’s girl and Jess was another daddy’s girl.”

Kevin, she noted, was his “best friend.”

“Even neighbors’ kids” had a special affection for her husband, Ms. Delligan said, listing a number who consider him a father figure. 

“He was so tremendous with children and just wanted them to grow up with the right morals and not be punk or any of that, and make something of themselves,” she said.

To get his guidance across, Mr. Delligan was “very blunt,” Ms. Delligan said, which wasn’t always immediately appreciated, but came to be seen as invaluable once his messages sank in. 

“Our 16-year-old grandson got his license right before he passed and my husband was on his back about making sure there was no drinking and driving, and if you do my foot’s going to be up your butt.”

Mr. Delligan’s persistence on this had upset his grandson, she said, but, later, she said he told her, “You know, Gram, I realized Pa was only trolling me because he was looking out for me.”

One person taking Mr. Delligan’s death especially hard is Giuseppe Viglione, a young family friend whom Mr. Delligan had taken under his wing after his parents divorced, teaching him baseball and other skills. 

“He was a really good guy,” Ms. Delligan said of her husband. “If you needed help, and he didn’t know you, he would be right there to help you.”

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William P. Delligan is survived by his wife, Stacy Delligan; his daughter Jessica Hauser; his son Steven Delligan, and Steven’s husband, Paul; his son Kevin Delligan; his daughter Alisha Delligan; and his son Dalton Delligan. 

He’s also survived by his grandchildren, Warren, Keirsten, Serenity, McKenna, and Dolce; by his great-grandson, Wyatt; and by his sisters, Patty Lilienthal and Tina Delligan-Koons. 

His parents, Anthony Sr. and Mary Delligan, died before him, as did his sister Jacki Olejnik, his brother Tony Delligan, and his son William P. Hauser.

“The Delligan Family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to all their relatives and friends during this difficult journey,” his family wrote in a tribute, “especially to The Community Hospice staff for their compassion and care.”

Cremation has taken place through Simple Choices Inc. A Celebration of Life will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the Rock Road Chapel Ministries, Rock Road, Berne NY 12023.

Memorial contributions may be made to Go fund Me- "pay it forward"(courtesy of Kevin and/or Steven Delligan).

— Noah Zweifel