It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Johnny Delicata, 81, who left us peacefully on October 24th, 2024, knowing he was very loved.  A beloved dad to Claire, Jessica, and Jonathan, and to Roy who he raised as his own and a grandfather to Roy's children Natasha, Lauren, and Rebecca. 

Born on May 21st, 1943, in Tunis to Gaetan and Anna, Johnny was a brother to Spiro, George, Marie-Terese, and Anthony.  The family moved to the UK when Johnny was in his late teens, with French being the family's native language.  Even after learning to speak English fluently, he never lost his recognisable and loved accent over the years. 

Johnny initially lived in London where he and his brothers proudly worked for Salamandre Cable Trunking before moving with the company to Swindon.  This is where he met Janet, and they married in 1971 following which they had their children. 

They moved to the locally well known ‘Little Shop’ in Stratton in 1985.  Johnny worked tirelessly both during the day at Salamandre and during the evening in the shop, instilling a strong work ethic in his children.  After both his marriage and lifelong career ended in 1994, he started again and worked his way up to Logistics Manager at Excel/Tesco, before finally retiring in 2010.   

Johnny cherished time with his family, enjoyed gardening with his friend Carmel and brother George, and loved feeding garden birds. He also enjoyed playing cards, watching quiz shows, and walking daily.   

A requiem mass will be held to honour Johnny’s life at Holy Family Church at 10:30am on Friday, November 29th, 2024, followed by a committal at Kingsdown Cemetery at 12pm.  Donations to Dementia UK / Huntington’s Disease Association are welcome.  

Johnny has left a legacy of valuing family, education, hard work, kindness, loyalty and a steadfast determination to set the best example to those around him. 

He will be greatly missed.