John B. Dailey

John B. Dailey, a lifetime resident of San Antonio, who was born on October 27, 1917, to Irish immigrant parents, died on November 19, 2010. In those 93 years, he was a devoted son and brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was also claimed as a friend by virtually everyone whose good fortune it was to spend some time with him.

John, like many born in that era, began working to help support his family at an early age. That work ethic continued throughout his life, until at age 80 he was finally convinced to retire. For most of those years, John worked with his three brothers as an owner and operator of the Dailey Liquor Stores. At the time of his retirement, John was the last of the brothers still operating the family business.

In his youth, John excelled as an athlete, playing multiple sports in school. He was also one of the best swimmers at the neighborhood swimming pool, located in San Pedro Park. On one sunny afternoon, a national celebrity, Johnny Weissmuller, a one-time Olympic swimmer and an actor who portrayed Tarzan in the movies, was putting on a swimming clinic at the Park. As a part of the clinic, Mr. Weissmuller asked that one of the local boys be chosen to swim against him. As John told the story, as the locals cheered him on, he led Mr. Weissmuller for approximately three-quarters of the race when suddenly he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Mr. Weissmuller fly past him to victory, as if swimming above and not in the water.

During WWII, John, like many thousands of others, signed up to serve as a member of our country's military. As a result of a football injury to one of his knees, however, John was unable to pass the physical and was denied the opportunity to enlist. Despite the initial rejection, John joined the civil service and was sent to Europe to serve proudly alongside his military counterparts.

After returning home from his country's service, John met and married an Irish lass named Dorothy M. McBride. John and Dorothy had four children and remained happily married until his passing, 61 years later.

John, in the Irish tradition, was known as a gifted storyteller. Some of his children's favorite memories of their father were his stories about the claimed exploits of him and his friends back in the old neighborhood. Over the years, as these stories were told and retold, what was fact and what was blarney began to blur for both John, as the storyteller, and for his audience, but the stories never failed to entertain. John was also a great lover of music and continued to enjoy, throughout his life, listening to the sounds of the big bands of his youth.

John is survived by his wife, Dorothy; son John T. Dailey and wife Gayle; son Charles Dailey; daughter Serene Dailey Van Winkle and husband Les; and daughter Tammy Dailey. He has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He will be missed.

A private family service will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery.