DeLona was born on January 3, 1921 in Fairfax, WA, a lumber and mining camp in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. Her father, John J. Gurley, was stationed in France during WWI where he met and married Regina G. Maillefer in Paris. He brought her home to Fairfax in 1919. In 1925 the family moved to Seattle, and then to Tacoma in 1926. DeLona attended St. Leo’s Catholic School and Stadium High School, graduating in 1939. She worked in retail sales for several years for a candy company and People’s Dept. Store. In 1945 she moved to Bremerton to help manage her father’s seafood restaurant. She worked for Brown’s Music Co. until going to work at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where she worked from 1952 until her retirement in 1986. While there, she was part of the first Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) committee formed by the shipyard.
DeLona married Cleo H. Kent on August 7, 1948. In their younger years, they enjoyed fishing the Olympic mountain streams and also fishing for salmon. Another activity was cruising in their 1957 T-Bird with other T-Bird owners. They took many weekend trips with these friends.
DeLona was very active with the Business and Professional Women’s Organization (BPW). She joined in 1957 and became the State President in 1974-75. She remained a member of the Port Orchard BPW club until it disbanded in 2017. She stayed a member of the state organization. She enjoyed the friendships she made in this club.
In 1994, she became involved with the Master Gardener program and was very active working on various beautification projects in the Port Orchard area. She enjoyed gardening and created beautiful landscaped areas at her home. A highlight for her was taking several trips to visit gardens in England, France, Italy and Sicily with garden expert Ciscoe Morris.
Other activities included organizing an Investment Club in 1996 which met at her home. It was very successful and continued until 2017. DeLona was a member of St. Gabriel Catholic Church and served as a Lector for many years. Her outdoor Christmas light display was enjoyed by her neighbors and passersby on Beach Drive every December. She enjoyed attending class reunions for St. Leo’s and Stadium High. She was a resident of Park Vista Assisted Living from September 3, 2017 until her passing on July 15, 2018.
DeLona was preceded in death by her husband, Cleo, in 1992; her mother and father; brother John R. Gurley; and niece Lori L. Gurley. She is survived by her grandnephew Justin Pederson of Tacoma, and many wonderful friends she made through the years.
Services will be held at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Port Orchard on Friday, July 27 at 11:00AM. Reception to follow. Memorial gifts can be made in DeLona’s name to SK Helpline, Kitsap Master Gardener Foundation, Franciscan Hospice Foundation, or a charity of your choice.
