Daniel Irwin Deichmann

The world lost a one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life man on November 15, 2021, when Daniel Irwin Deichmann passed into eternal life. Dan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Arthur John Deichmann, Sr. and Bertha Maestri Deichmann, the youngest of five children. He moved to Metairie, Louisiana, in 1968 and raised his family there.

Dan is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Linda Peters Deichmann, his three children, Melissa Deichmann Evans Good (Jim Good) of Arlington, Virginia, Scott Daniel Deichmann (Angela) of Chicago, IL, and Melinda Deichmann Marengo (Trey Marengo) of Metairie, and four grandchildren, Avery Marie and Caroline Grace Deichmann and Alexander James and Zoey Grace Marengo. He is also survived by his sister, Rita Deichmann Case and his brother, Richard E. Deichmann, Sr., and many beloved nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, brother, Arthur J. Deichmann, Jr., sister, Dorothy Deichmann Prohaska, and son-in-law, Timothy O’Donovan Evans.

Dan attended St. Paul’s School in Covington, LA, from ages eight through eighteen and he attributed his strong Catholic faith to the positive influence that the Christian Brothers had on him during these formative years. He graduated from St. Paul’s School and then continued his studies at Southeastern Louisiana College in Hammond, LA, where he graduated with a major in economics.

A born salesman, Dan worked his way up to department manager at J.C. Penney in Lakeside Mall, where he had worked during college breaks. Dan was a member of the US Naval Reserve and was stationed in San Diego, CA, preparing for deployment to Viet Nam when a medical condition was discovered earning him an honorable discharge. He continued his work at Penney’s through his early marriage, and eventually parlayed his love of food and sales into a successful career in the gourmet food industry. He began at Carnation as a salesman and quickly was recruited to become an account manager at Specialty Foods. He then advanced to regional and national sales manager positions at Sanna Dairies, Trappey’s, McIlhenny Corporation, and Bruce Foods. The local cuisines and culture of Southern Louisiana held a special place in Dan’s heart and belly, and his Southern cooking and Cajun joke-telling, complete with accent, only improved with age. These skills also elevated his salesmanship to near caricature-like status and attracted both professional successes and many friendships over the years; He kept friends and colleagues well-fed, and entertained. Throughout his years of business travel, Dan became adopted family to many of his colleagues-turned friends. He was known for the “drop in” - frequently arriving to a friend’s house with a favorite cut of steak to toss on the grill, or with the ingredients to whip up a pot of gumbo on the home’s stove. Dan never met a stranger.

A lifelong sportsman, Dan spent his early years hunting, fishing, and trawling with his Uncle Del, cousins, and dear friend Jay Dubret at the camp in Violet, LA - a camp that he helped to rebuild after a fire. As a student, and as an adult, Dan also had a passion for sports. In addition to the sports that he pursued in high school, he continued to play adult league basketball at Johnny Bright Playground well until adulthood. He translated his love of basketball to his coaching Biddy Basketball at Johnny Bright, where his son, Scott, played for 7 years. During Scott’s five years at Jesuit, Dan could be found cheering Scott on from the bleachers. He treasured the camaraderie shared with other Jesuit basketball families and was a known organizer of crawfish boils and other dinners for the families of Jesuit players. Dan also enjoyed volunteering his time and donating food products to causes at St. Clement of Rome, where his three children attended elementary school, and to Jesuit and Dominican, where they attended high school. His generosity of spirit was evident in all he did.

Dan’s greatest passion was his family. From his early married life and fatherhood, until his later years in the role of Grampy, Dan reveled in his wife, children, and grandchildren. Throughout his life Dan’s happiest moments were those that he spent connecting with his loved ones. He supported their interests and passions as they evolved over the years and never tired of the time and resources dedicated to these pursuits. Dan ensured that the Deichmann home was a gathering spot for the kids and their friends by providing entertainment in the form of a swimming pool, pool table, dart board, and a complete compliment of snacks. Visitors were frequently offered “parting gifts” in the form of Tabasco golf balls or hot sauce. With his grandkids, he looked forward to playing Uno, Battleship, and Go Fish, and even begrudgingly played Monopoly. Dan was known to “razz” the family, and anyone who would engage in his antics. Corny jokes were standard and nobody was immune. He had a love for LSU and Saints football and was somewhat fearful for Linda’s blood pressure during her enthusiastic game viewing with him. Much to his doctor’s chagrin, Dan was known for his homemade pralines and chocolate sauce served over Blue Bell ice cream. He remembered everyone’s favorite foods, and made sure to keep the house stocked with preferred treats when kids and grandkids came to visit. Friends and neighbors were also likely to receive personal deliveries of preferred treats or his homemade soup du jour. Other hobbies included television remote control mastery and aggressive napping, often practiced simultaneously. He was famous for his well-polished shoes, his firm hand shake, warm embraces, back rubs, and being an all-around great guy. He deeply cherished his friendships with Mike Bailey and Dan McGrath, whom he loved as brothers.

Dan was a man whose quiet faith was evident in all he did. His devotion to the Blessed Mother carried him through life’s difficulties. Dan always preached the importance of being a person of character - that a man is only as good as his word. His primary goal in life was to create a good, Christian, family. How lucky for us to have had such a beautiful model of faith and family. We love you and will miss you every day until we see you again.

Special thanks to Dr. Marilyn Marshall at Ochsner Hospital who enabled his attainment of his last three wishes, and to the many wonderful members of the nursing staff who cared for Dan, listened to his jokes, and made Dan’s final weeks more joyful and comfortable.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Monday, December 20, 2021, at 12 noon at St. Benilde Catholic Church, 1901 Division Street, Metairie LA. Visitors will be received from 10 am to12 noon at the church. Interment will immediately follow at Metairie Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dan’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105 or donate online at https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=address-faq-donate-txt

The online guestbook is available at www.leitzeaganfuneralhome.com.