John Harry Orth

John Harry Orth, age 78, of Hockessin, DE, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

Born and raised in Wilmington, John was the son of the late Woodrow and Helen (Kane) Conaway. He was a graduate of Conrad High School Class of 1958. He had attended Troy University, where he had played football, as well as the University of Delaware. Before retiring in 2001, John was a Research Technician from DuPont for 45 years, where he was an accomplished inventor of two chemical and 22 mechanical patents.

In addition to football, John was also an amazing volleyball player, who excelled as a player and a coach. John began his women’s volleyball coaching career at Wilmington University before becoming the head coach at DelTech Community College for 11 years, where he received the Regional Coach of the Year award for 9 years. He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame as an All American Coach and Player for volleyball. John was a member of the U.S. Men’s Masters East Olympic Volleyball Team, which he traveled all over the world with playing volleyball and competitively representing the United States. He also founded the Calypso Volleyball Club in Wilmington.

John will be remembered as a small but sarcastic and feisty guy, who was always the leader of the pack. He was a doting companion to his beloved dogs, Pincus, Jesse, Tucker, Precious and Bogey, who were like family to him. John always loved Corvettes, especially his 1990 powder blue corvette. He was also proud that he had designed and built his own home in Hockessin.

John is survived by his daughter, Sherylyn Klair of Ft. Worth, TX; his grandchildren, Sasha Ceballos of Austin, TX, D. Michael Ceballos of San Diego, CA, Sophia Ceballos of Ft. Worth, TX, Gabriel Ceballos of Austin, TX and Summer Klair of Wilmington, DE; his two brothers, Jim and Alan Conaway of St. Petersburg, FL; his sister, Karyn C. Lynch of Mount Laurel, NJ ; as well as many friends.

A Celebration of John’s Life will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 11 at Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Senior Dog Haven and Hospice, P.O. Box 1441, Wilmington, DE 19899 www.seniordoghaven.org.

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