Mike DeLay

Michael Robert DeLay, 64, of Des Moines, Iowa, died on March 11, 2026, at Wayne County Hospital in Corydon, Iowa.

Born on April 16, 1961, in Oelwein, Iowa, to Robert DeLay and Marjorie Hurley, Mike grew up in Cedar Falls, where he attended St. Patrick’s School and Cedar Falls High School. After high school, he studied under a French sous chef, worked in the medical field, and later joined the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, assisting with wildlife population counts and animal tagging. He went on to graduate from Simpson College in Indianola in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. Mike built a long career in information technology as a software developer for Principal Financial, Aviva Investors, and Wells Fargo, before spending the final chapter of his professional life as a cloud engineer with TMC Transportation in Des Moines.

From a young age, Mike cherished Northeast Iowa. His first trip there with his father to fish the trout streams included Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dorchester, a place that remained dear to him throughout his life. Around 2013, he purchased countryside property where he spent many peaceful weekends in his camper and dreamed of building a cabin. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed turkey and deer hunting, camping, and boating on Saylorville and Rathbun Lakes with his children and family aboard his Wellcraft Eclipse speedboat. He held a pilot’s license and flew a Cessna, took motorcycle trips, attended car shows, and long hoped to own a Corvette. Above all, Mike’s greatest passion was playing and collecting guitars, especially his beloved Martin acoustics.

He is survived by his children, Catherine DeLay of Monroe, Louisiana, and John (Hailey) DeLay of Russell, Iowa; grandchildren Lorelai Gray, Annalise Rose, and Carter Johnathan; siblings Diane (Philippe) Rosset of Versailles, France, Matt (Jackie) DeLay of Ames, Iowa, and Mark DeLay of Hudson, Wisconsin; and his nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.