John Deleo; Retired Ventura High Teacher, Coach

John Deleo, a former head football coach at Ventura High School, died Thursday at Community Memorial Hospital. He was 73.

He was born April 9, 1924, in Corona, one of three sons born to Italian immigrants.

Deleo served in Europe during World War II in the Army Corps of Engineers.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and his master’s from Cal State Northridge.

Deleo began his first teaching job in 1951 at Arvin High School. He came to Ventura High in 1957 where he taught American government, history and Spanish until his retirement in 1989.

“He was the most organized guy you would ever see,” said fellow teacher Mickey Perry, who added that Deleo was a strict teacher in the classroom. “But there’s one thing about the way he was--students learned from him--there was no way they couldn’t. If they didn’t they would be out of there.”

Deleo was head varsity football coach for three seasons from 1968 until 1971. He was an assistant football coach from 1957 to 1962, and he had also coached tennis, baseball and track.

In 1986, students and faculty honored him with the Creative Teacher Award. In his spare time, Deleo enjoyed golf, gardening and long beach walks.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Oneta; two sons, Michael and Anthony; one daughter, Nancy; two brothers and three grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home, 757 E. Main St., Ventura.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at San Buenaventura Mission, with burial following at Ivy Lawn Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the San Buenaventura Mission school building fund or a charity of the donor’s choice.