- Date Of Birth: July 14, 1922
- Date Of Death: August 19, 2022
- State: Pennsylvania
Delma Iacocca Kelechava of Bethlehem, PA passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by family on Friday August 19th. “Del”, as she was known to her friends and family, was born on July 14, 1922 to Nicola and Antonietta Perrotta Iacocca, first generation immigrants from Italy. When she was 28 she married Lawrence Kelechava with whom she shared 36 wonderful years of marriage until he passed in 1986. Many of her happiest memories throughout her life were spent with her younger brother Lido “Lee” Iacocca who predeceased her in 2019 and was in her own words, “The light of my life”.
Del was a proud graduate of Allentown High School class of 1940 and spent ten years working for the American Optical Company. Del and Larry raised their family in the Midway Manor Community in Allentown, which was developed by her father.
In addition to preparing three meals a day and making sure the kids did their homework and got to school on time, Del also worked for her father’s real estate development company and restaurant ventures, including the Four Chefs Restaurant on Union Boulevard in Allentown. She and her husband owned and operated the Bethlehem Ford dealership from the 60’s to the 80’s.
A dance instructor when she was a young girl, Del was able to float effortlessly across the dance floor and continued to enjoy ballroom dancing throughout her life. She was a voracious reader and was well versed in the history of the Lehigh Valley. Her favorite movie was Gone with the Wind. She traveled extensively, and her most treasured moments were spent in Tuscany, Italy and on Nantucket Island. She also loved time spent in New York City, especially when she could catch the latest Broadway play.
Her Italian ancestry resulted in food being a lifelong passion; particularly fresh lobster, clams, oysters and shrimp. She was particularly happy when preparing her mother’s favorite Italian recipes from San Marco dei Cavoti for her children, grandchildren, and close friends.
Del is survived by her four children; Laurie of Bethlehem, Lee (Meryl Cooper) of Easton, Kurt (Judy) of Bethlehem, and Lisa (Richard Torbett) of Knoxville, TN. She was extremely proud of her five grandsons; Marc, Erik, Kyle, Alex and Brad, two nieces, Kathryn Iacocca Hentz (Ned) and Lia Iacocca Assad (Victor) and her eight great nieces and nephews (Mary-Cait, Molly, Arianna, Maeve, Parker, Nicolas, Logan and Trey). Additionally, she was fortunate to have an extended family too large to mention individually but loved the annual family reunions at Emmaus park.
Del’s family wishes to extend their thanks and appreciation for the love given to Del by Maria Allende, her constant companion and caregiver for the past four years.
Del was a longtime member of Tuesday Club of Bethlehem and served as President for two years. She volunteered for the Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island Foundation of New York for the original restoration efforts and the Iacocca Institute’s Global Village which she enjoyed immensely.
