Blanche Del Deo of Palm Beach, who recently celebrated 75th wedding anniversary, dies

Andrew J. Davis, Palm Beach Daily News
·2 min read

Blanche Wagner Del Deo of Palm Beach died Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. She was 95 years old.

She was born July 17, 1927, in Sidney, Ohio, to Philip and Blanche Wagner, owners of the cast iron cookware company Wagner Ware.

Ralph and Blanche Del Deo were married for 75 years on Nov. 29. Mrs. Del Deo died on Monday at 95 years old.
Ralph and Blanche Del Deo were married for 75 years on Nov. 29. Mrs. Del Deo died on Monday at 95 years old.

A graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Cincinnati, she won The Silver Sailfish Derby of the Palm Beaches in the 1950s.

Mrs. Del Deo and her husband her husband, Ralph, were featured in a December Palm Beach Daily News article after celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary.

They met when she was 12, he was 15 and their families were vacationing in Atlantic City. In the early years of their marriage, they performed in community theater, and for years bred some of the top English pointers in the world. The couple traveled often as Ralph Del Deo judged dog shows in multiple countries and the United States.

Mrs. Del Deo served on committees for several New Jersey kennel clubs and as a delegate to the American Kennel Club, where she served on committees and represented clubs across the country.

The Del Deos wintered in Jupiter and Palm City before moving to Palm Beach 19 years ago. She had a real estate career in Somerset County, New Jersey, after raising her children.

They founded the Ralph and Blanche Del Deo Scholarship, which was established to provide financial assistance to students at the Rutgers Law School, where Mr. Del Deo was a graduate.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Del Deo is survived by her children, Blanche Vilade, of Jacksonville; Katherine “KT” Catlin, of Palm Beach; Nicholas Del Deo, of Bedminster, New Jersey; and Julia Campazzi and husband Dr. Earl Campazzi, of West Palm Beach; nine grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Edward Catholic Church, 144 N. County Road.

Donations may be sent in lieu of flowers to The Lord's Place in West Palm Beach.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Blanche Del Deo, who recently celebrated her 75th wedding anniversary, dies