Maribeth Ann (Middleton) Delehoy, aged 79, passed away Wednesday July 3, 2024, at Citizens Medical Center in Colby, KS.
Maribeth was born May 16, 1945, to Ernest and Waneta (Roberts) Middleton. She was the second of four children including older sister Glenda (Bob) Seibert and younger siblings, Dale Middleton (Deb Johnson) and Gayle (Fred) Allen. The four of them were quite close and created many cherished memories together as kids and continued building those memories as they became adults and started raising families of their own. The four siblings were blessed to be able to raise their children in the same town for many years. After her sisters passed away Maribeth wanted to spend as much time as possible with her brother Dale.
Maribeth was a graduate of Goodland High School and attended Brown Mackey College in Salina KS. On June 14, 1964, she married the love of her life Gerold Delehoy. To this union four children were born, David (Sheila), of Brockton MA, Dana (Tim) Moss, of Selden KS, Douglas Delehoy, of Tuscaloosa AL, and Dustin Delehoy, formerly of Paris IL. She also considered Dana's best friend Sheila Williams a bonus daughter.
Maribeth was a loving mother to 4 children, grandmother to 13 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, a sister, an aunt to several nieces, nephews, and a friend to many throughout her life. She will be missed by those who knew her best.Some of Maribeth’s interests were going to the casinos, crossword/ crostyx puzzles, Native American history, and going to the movies. Maribeth enjoyed all genres of music and loved to dance. Some of her daughter's fondest memories of her were remembering how she used to dance in the house while listening to records. She and her daughter went on several “adventures” together as well as concerts and plays.
Maribeth also enjoyed golfing and painting, even though she didn't feel she was good at either one, she always made the most out of the time she spent doing the things she loved by creating as much laughter as she possibly could doing them. Many stories have been told about golf games with her sons and grandson Nathan. Her niece Tammy took her to painting classes at the Hays public library, oh the stories and belly laughs that have come from those classes and Maribeth’s “Nefertiti’s” cat painting are endless. She could “hang with the best of them” she used to say jokingly.
Debating or discussing politics with people was also something she liked to do, especially so with her two youngest sons. She spoke often of her trips to go visit her oldest son and the jokes he played on her and what a wonderful host he was.
To say Maribeth was extremely proud of the kind of people her children became and the families they have is truly an understatement. Maribeth repeatedly said how grateful and blessed she was to have the children she had and that she “didn't know what she would have ever done without them.”Her 13 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren were honestly her prized possessions. She enjoyed spending time with them playing games, teasing them and creating laughs galore with each of them. Her great-grandchildren became a whole new generation to share her life and love with and she tried to show that in as many ways as she could with the miles between them but mentioned many times how she “wished she lived closer to them all so they could get to know her better.”Maribeth was also very close to her many nieces and nephews as she watched them all grow into adults. Maribeth always made time for anyone in the family who needed a shoulder to cry on, advice, or just to have someone to hang with when needed.
She was preceded in death by her great grandparents Robert and Pauline Roberts; her parents Ernest and Waneta Middleton; her forever love Gerold Delehoy; her sisters, Glenda Seibert and Gayle Allen; and her youngest son Dustin Delehoy.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time in Colorado at a special place she and her husband Gerold spent cherished memories at. Cards may be sent to 9915 W Road 40 N, Selden KS 67757 in care of her daughter Dana Moss.