Obituary of John Joseph Daly

John Joseph Daly "Jack" Native of San Francisco Resident of Los Altos Born July 15, 1923. Passed away peacefully at home on September 25, 2010 surrounded by his loving family. Jack loved his family, his country, and his church in the manner of a true gentleman. Jack attended St. Ignatius High School, graduating in 1941, and then entered the US Naval Academy at the age of 17. As a member of the Class of 1945, and due to the onset of WWII, classes were accelerated. In 1944, after 3 years Jack graduated with a degree in civil engineering. His first naval assignment was on the large battleship the USS Washington. He acted as Junior Turret Officer of the 16mm guns, during the battles of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Midway in the South Pacific. Later he was assigned to amphibious craft, which included LCI's, LST's, and LSM's. Jack returned to active duty during the Korean War, assigned primarily to destroyers, namely the USS Turner as Operations Officer. Later he served on the USS Camano. He operated out of Guam, servicing the Trust Territories of the West Pacific. In 1950 Jack resigned from the Navy, but was recalled to duty in 1951 as Executive Officer of the destroyer the USS Porterfield during the Korean War. Jack's total active service was 11 years in the Navy. After his time in service, Jack was an estimator for a general contractor in San Francisco. Being the founder of two successful construction companies, Daly and Trudell Construction, and later John J. Daly Construction. His primary expertise was in concrete tilt-up construction. His projects were throughout the Bay Area, namely Stanford University, Union Bank in San Jose, and Rolm Corp. in Santa Clara. Jack retired in 1998. Jack was a life member of the US Naval Institute, and the Naval Academy Alumni Association. He was a huge fan of the SF Giants, the SF 49er's, and Stanford football, He was an active member of The Serra Club and St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Los Altos. Lt. Commander Daly is survived by his two daughters, Katy (Tom) Kelly, and Betsy (George) Caffell, his grandchildren Liz, Tommy, Johnny, and Miles, and his sister-in-law Allie, whom he shared their close association and love. His later years were shared with his loving companion Mary Hardy. Predeceasing Jack in 1994 was his wife, Shirley, whom he met during Navy flight training school in Dallas. Also deceased are his parents, Thomas and Josephine Daly, and his loving older siblings, Thomas, Constance and Dorothy and more recently his beloved nephews Dan Daly and Patrick Daly who shared his birth date. Friends are invited to attend viewing on Friday, October 1st at St. Nicholas Church, 473 Lincoln Ave., Los Altos, CA (650-948-2158) from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Vigil service will immediately follow. Funeral mass will be held on Saturday, October 2nd at 10:00 am at St. Nicholas Church in Los Altos. Internment with Military honors will follow at gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cupertino. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the US Naval Academy�"Class of 1945 c/o PO Box 340 Menlo Park, CA 94026




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