Bob DeLay

Bob DeLay 96, died of natural cases on February 14, 2015. He is survived by his current wife, Renate; son, Stephen Michael (Weston, CT); daughter-in-law, Kristine and grandson, Stephen Michael Jr. Bob was predeceased by his late wife, Bonnie. Bob was born in Beresford, SD January 4, 1919, and spent his school days in Wessington Springs, SD. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1941 (BS, Journalism). He was ordered to military duty six days after graduation and entered active duty as 2nd Lt. U.S. Army Infantry. He spent nearly five years in the Army, including two years combat duty in New Guinea and the Philippines. He was awarded the Bronze Star, and left the service as a Lt. Colonel. Bob spent 13 years in advertising and public relations in positions with companies in Davenport, IA, Louisville, KY and Chicago. In March 1959 Bob was named President of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in New York City. He headed the organization for 26 years, expanded it internationally, and is given credit for developing DMA into the world's largest marketing association. Today, DMA embraces online marketing, social media, and data-driven marketing. Bob DeLay was the co-founder of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (now MarketingEDGE). It continues to provide education and mentoring to college students interested in a direct marketing career. Bob served on the DMEF board for 36 years. In his capacity as President of DMA, Bob travelled extensively and delivered speeches in most major cities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. When "junk mail" came under attack in the early 1970's, Bob did over 100 television interviews and even appeared on the popular 60 Minutes show. DeLay also worked closely with the Postmaster General in implementing the "Zip Code" to improve mail delivery and allow marketers to better target consumers. Bob had the privilege of meeting three Presidents during his several invitations to the White House. DeLay was awarded most of his profession's highest honors, and was inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame. In semi-retirement Bob edited and published The DeLay Letter, a direct marketing newsletter, for 13 years from his home in Westport, CT. Bob retired in 1998 to Tucson, AZ. As a dedicated sports fan and avid golfer, Bob cherished his hole-in-one at Augusta National. But he was most proud of a quote from a personal friend, Art Nielson (Nielson Ratings), where Art stated "I think I learned more from you about how to get something sold than anybody else." A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, March 27, 2015 at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, 5150 N. Valley View Rd., Tucson, AZ. A Memorial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 28, 2015 at The Mountain Oyster Club, 6400 E. El Dorado Circle, Tucson, AZ. Burial will be at St. Wilifred's Catholic Cemetery in Woonsocket, SD where his parents and sister are interred. In lieu of flowers the family has asked donations be made to the Entrepreneurial Fund at MarketingEDGE, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10036. Arrangements entrusted to ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Avalon Chapel.