Family of Mary Lou DeLeva

MaryLou DeLeva didn’t have to teach anyone kindness, compassion or the art of listening, they learned just by watching her. Sadly, the beloved wife, mother and friend of so many, passed away peacefully April 25th after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Born MaryLou Ann Benincasa in Patchogue, New York, December 9, 1937, she was an honor student and cheerleader who married the school’s star athlete, Tony DeLeva.

MaryLou and Tony raised two boys, John and Don. The family made a cross-country move from New York to California in 1969. MaryLou loved working with kids and spent 31 years at Saddleback College. In retirement, she volunteered helping children at Palm Valley Elementary in Palm Desert.

Mary Lou envisioned this scholarship as a way to support a student who is an active leader at Saddleback College and plans to transfer to a four-year college or university.