Delight J. Sismilich

Delight Josephine Sismilich, age 91, passed away on October 22, 2026, leaving behind a lifetime of cherished memories, accomplishments, and love. Born on July 6, 1935 in Miami, of Key West and Bahamian roots, she was a fourth generation Floridian and true Conch. Attending Hillsborough High School as a Terrier in a small class, she married her high school sweetheart, Don, and together they shared 66 wonderful years of marriage.

She worked with Florida Highway Patrol and the FDLE crime lab before retiring to their treasured property they called Valhalla in the Carrollwood area in Tampa, Florida.

Beyond her tremendous extended family which was first and foremost, she was passionate about the property and gardening & landscaping. It was a veritable nursery where she cultivated beautiful orchids and an array of exotic plants including plumeria, lilies, caladium, crepe myrtles, staghorns, azaleas and crotons among others. Her love of nature and gardening was a labor of love that brought her countless hours of happiness, and her both enviable and meticulous property reflected her appreciation for the beauty and wonder of the natural world and the tropics. Most days if she was asked what she was doing, she would say “working in the yard”.

Dee and Don always remembered their trips to Hawaii and Europe, but also loved the North Georgia Mountains, quickly buying a family retreat there where the extended family had decades of celebrations and great, great times. Some don’t know, she also earned her pilot’s license.

Spending their early formative years of marriage watching early Hollywood westerns, later in life Dee loved living in the past with her Don by watching westerns on Grit including The Tales of Wells Fargo, Bat Masterson, the Lone Ranger and anything starring John Wayne and Audie Murphy, among others.

As an avid seamstress, Dee sought to make every grandchild and great grandchild a custom handmade blanket and pillow, approaching 30 in total. She similarly showed her passion for her Curry family genealogy by tracing roots back 12 generations from the great grandkids. She is survived by about 44 people including sons Terry and Chris (with wife Liz) as well as daughter Lori (with husband Tom), 8 adoring grandchildren Michelle (with Kevin), Adam (with Shivana), Kandace (with Gary), Heather (with Eric), Terri Lee (with Nick), Ashlee (with Andrew), Kevin (with Megan) and Darci (with Joshua), and 21 treasured great grandchildren Drew, Sydney, Jacob, Bryson, Colten, Ella, Brylee, Abbie, Easton, Chloe, Charlee, Brody, Ryland, Kashton, Taytum, Priyanka, Jyn, Hailey, Logan, Terra and another on the way. Sister, Sandra.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Don, daughter in law Judy and great grandson Liam Blaize; parents Samuel and Viola Curry, and brother Eugene.

.Dee has always loved animals from large German Shepherds to small lap dogs. In her last few years she enjoyed the company of her Grand Dogs, Brandy and her boyfriend Hooch. And oh boy, did they enjoy Valhalla. Her 91 years were marked by love, accomplishment, and adventure. Though she will be deeply missed, the memories she created and the life she lived will continue to live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.

May she rest in peace, surrounded by the beauty she so dearly loved.

Visitation will take place at Blount & Curry Funeral Home at Garden of Memories, 4207 E LAKE AVE, TAMPA, FL 33610, US, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 AM, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM at the funeral home. Committal service will immediately at Garden of Memories Cemetery, 4207 E Lake Avenue, Tampa, Fl.