James Howard Dehoney

James Howard Dehoney passed away in Vancouver B. C. on Wednesday, December 7, after a short illness. He was 78 years old. Jim married the love of his life Jacqueline Gray on March 29, 2014 in Tomball, TX.Jim was born in 1944 in Washington D.C. He was the first child of Lt. Howard Carl and Anne Gregorie Dehoney. Shortly after Jim’s birth, Howard was deployed to Europe and served in the 442 Regimental Combat team. Upon returning from the war, Howard started a successful career in life insurance which soon led the now family of four to New Orleans and eventually San Antonio. Just like his father and grandfather before him, Jim would eventually pursue a career in life insurance.Jim graduated from Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, and then went on to The University of Texas at Austin. He graduated with a B.B.A. in Business, and then attended graduate school in the Department of Psychology at UT. Jim left Texas and moved to British Columbia, Canada. He made his home in Vancouver and went to work for IBM which he said grounded him in business. In 1980, at ManuLife Financial, he became a licensed insurance advisor. Jim incorporated his business in 1992 and formed Dehoney Financial Group, located in downtown Vancouver, specializing in company benefits and retirement plans. Asked about his success, his words were “Like father, like son.”Jim Dehoney was an industry leader and innovator in the insurance business, but also a community builder both in and outside the office–giving back to his colleagues, his clients, and those in need. Jim was a friend to everyone, loved by his family, employees, and his clients.

Jim enjoyed playing golf, running, learning French and Spanish, and spending time with Jackie and their dog, Sadie.Jim is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Clay Gray of Tomball, Texas and her daughter, Erin Elizabeth (Jason) Gray; children,: Matthew (Lily) McSwain, Cameron James (Jen) Dehoney, David Ryan (Lisa) Dehoney, and Mariah Anne (Jake) Dehoney-Weston; grandchildren, Emily and Allie McSwain, Maya Evelyn and Thomas Jinyuan Dehoney, Miles Robert De Larosa, Everett Jinsoo Ahn-Dehoney; sisters, Jean Allan (Richard) Levine and Elizabeth D. (John) Tindall; and nieces, Elizabeth (Shah) Khan, Meredith (Jack) Benage and Elizabeth Walker Tindall.

Jim is predeceased by his father, Howard Carl Dehoney; brother, Edmund Gregorie Dehoney; nephew, David Allen Levine; and his mother, Anne Gregorie Dehoney, who died the day before Jim, on December 6, 2022.

A service will be held at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in West Vancouver, BC, on December 17, 2022 at 11 a.m. There will also be a memorial service held in Tomball, Texas, at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada or to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.