John Dante Dell'Orso

John Dante Dell'Orso, Sr. passed away December 5, 2012 in St. George, Utah. He was 73.John was born March 12, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York to Dante and Janet (Lynn) Dell'Orso. As a boy, he was well known in his South Brooklyn neighborhood for riding through the streets on his horse, Lady.John graduated from Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School in Wappingers Falls, NY, in 1956, after which he joined the Marine Corps. He was a sharpshooter in the Marines, and won two Leatherneck Marksmanship Awards in 1959. He was honorably discharged in 1960 with the rank of Corporal. John returned to the military in 1983, when he joined the Colorado Army National Guard. He was honorably discharged in 1994.After leaving Marines, John and his father owned a general contracting company for several years, and in 1967 John joined IBM. John married Elizabeth Nancy Fullerton on September 15, 1962 in Fishkill, New York. Their three children were born in the area, and the family lived in New York until 1976, when they moved to Longmont. John and Betty resided in Longmont until 1994, when John retired from IBM, and they moved to St. George, Utah.John was of the Catholic faith and a member of American Legion Post #32. John enjoyed bowling and was a little league and bowling coach. He was an excellent horseman, and enjoyed reading, traveling to Las Vegas and other Nevada towns to gamble, working out, health and fitness, and home repair and improvement.John was preceded in death by his wife Elizabeth, son John Dante Dell'Orso, Jr., his parents and in-laws, sister Roberta Kay Dell'Orso Matson, two nephews Michael Barry and Douglas Murray, Jr., and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.He is survived by his daughters Kristin Dell'Orso and Susan Dell'Orso, and his granddaughter Haley Dell'Orso.A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM Friday December 28, 2012 at the Ahlberg Funeral Chapel. Inurnment will follow at Foothills Gardens of Memory Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project online at http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org. Visit www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com to share condolences.