John J. Delfs, 75, of Long Beach, Wash., died Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008, at home.

He was born Nov. 22, 1932, in New York City, to Arnod and Nellie (Benson) Delfs. His early years were spent in New York and New Jersey.

In 1951, he joined the U.S. Air Force. He served during the Korean and Vietnam wars as an administrative supervisor and air freight specialist. He was stationed in Germany, Japan, Guam and Vietnam and was an E6 technical sergeant upon discharge in 1971.

He married Betty Delfs. She preceded him in death.

Mr. Delfs settled in Tacoma, Wash., where he worked as an journeyman molder and coremaker at Atlas Foundry before becoming a U.S. Army civil service worker at Fort Lewis, Wash. He retired in 1994, and moved to Long Beach, where he resided for several years. He lived briefly in Sequim, Wash., before returning permanently to Long Beach in 1997.

Family members said he loved the peace and quiet of the Long Beach Peninsula and was a regular at Long Beach Tavern where he enjoyed many friendships. He enjoyed camping and fishing, trips to Reno, Nev., and country/western music.

He is survived by a stepson, Richard Kim and his wife, Vickie, of Puyallup, Wash.; and a sister, Edith Storey of Steger, Ill.

A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Penttila’s Chapel by The Sea in Long Beach. A reception follows at the chapel.

Private burial next to his wife will be at Mountain View Cemetery in Tacoma.

An online guest book is available at www.penttilaschapel.com