In Loving Memory of Delia Link Kirwan
Delia (Dede) Jean Link Kirwan passed away on January 3, 2024, at the age of 90, in Wilmington, DE. Born on January 3, 1934, in Lexington, Kentucky, she was the youngest daughter of the late Harold Forrest Link and Delia (Sloan) Link. Dede was the devoted wife of Denny Kirwan.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dede earned a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics. She had a lifelong commitment to learning and education. Her teaching career started in Cassopolis, Michigan and continued in Norfolk, Virginia and The Woodlands, Texas.
Dede was an avid tennis player and played competitively in amateur leagues and tournaments for many years. She also enjoyed hiking, swimming, horseback riding, photography, sewing, and gardening, along with card and board games. She was the “queen of her kitchen” and enjoyed hosting parties, especially for university students. She was a cosmopolitan woman, having lived in Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, Rhode Island, Texas, New York, Berlin (Germany), Florida, Wyoming, and Delaware. She volunteered with several organizations devoted to improving lives in these communities.
A long-time member in the League of Women Voters, she served as a delegate to their National Convention. For many years she served on the Newark Area Welfare Committee with emphasis on the homeless. Dede was active in the University of Delaware Women’s Club and in raising scholarship funds for women. For her efforts she received their “Woman of the Year” award. In addition, she was an active member in the First Presbyterian Church of Newark.
Dede was a devoted daughter, caring sister, loving mother, and supportive wife. Her outgoing and energetic personality left a lasting impression on everyone she encountered. Her husband, Denny Kirwan, and their three children; Michael Kirwan, Patrick Kirwan and his wife, Karen, and Albert Kirwan and his wife Jessica; survive her. She is also survived by her four beloved grandchildren, Daniel Kirwan, Charlotte Ann Turley, Lewis Kirwan, and Alexander Kirwan, as well as her four nephews and four nieces.
Dede was preceded in death by her parents, her two sisters, Ruth Montgomery and Virginia Stamper, and a dear cousin, Harter Crutcher.
There will be a private ceremony for her close friends and family at the Head of Christiana Cemetery. A celebration of her life is planned for a later date.
To share your condolences and memories about Dede’s remarkable life, please visit www.rtfoard.com.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Newark Area Welfare Committee https://www.newarkareawelfare.org or The Children’s Tumor Foundation www.ctf.org.