Jean W. Delva

Jean Winer Delva was born on January 3rd, 1948, in the village of St. Louis du Sud, Haiti to his mother Sanite Guervil Destima and his father Fedor Delva (both deceased).  He was the eldest of his siblings, who included his younger brother Maxo Delva, his stepbrother Alphaille Destima, and his stepsister Christiane Almonord. He married Marie Antoine Kalime in March of 1987, and they went on to have their daughter Stacy and son David. 

Jean’s father passed when he was very young, so he worked to support his mother and played an imperative role in raising his younger siblings and many cousins. His hard working attitude allowed him to become a role model for them to look up to. After high school, he went to ministry school and became an evangelist to deliver the good news of Jesus. As a result, he hosted a radio show entitled L'oeuvre Evangelique at the Christian radio station Radio de Lumiere. During his time living in Haiti, Jean also studied law at Faculte de Droit. He furthered his education by studying Administration at the Institut des Haute Etudes Commerciales et Economiques. After finishing his studies in Haiti, he went on to work for the Commission Administrative field of the Haitian government. 

Jean moved to New York in 1982, and finished his schooling at Baruch College, where he studied accounting. He then began working as a welfare fraud investigator for the New York City Human Resources Administration Bureau of Eligibility Verification, and was eventually promoted to a Senior Fraud Investigator with a focus in statistics. He worked for the city of New York until he retired in July of 2016.

Jean was an intellectual, who always stressed the importance of education and hard work. He was ready to lend advice to those who needed help at a moments notice, and often used his own life experiences to help guide youth in the right direction. Jean had a genuine love of learning, as reading was one of his favorite past times. He had a vast book collection that included seemingly any topic you could think of.  He also had a great love of Kompa music; on most weekends, his home would be filled with the smooth rhythms of artists such as Nu Look and Carimi. More than anything, Jean enjoyed watching his family thrive and achieve success, and wanted nothing but the best for his wife and children. He worked to provide the best life for them possible.

In September of 2018, Jean was diagnosed with amyloidosis primarily affecting the kidneys. He bravely fought against the disease to the best of his abilities, and suffered through several treatments in an attempt to regain enough health to continue to watch his family grow and succeed. His wife Marie Antoine Delva supported him every step of the way, and was essential in his fight lasting as long as it did.

On June 19th, 2019, Jean’s suffering finally ended as he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife Marie Antoine Delva, his daughter Stacy Renee Delva , his son David Winer Delva and his brothers Maxo and Alphaille, his sister Christiane, his nephews John Fedor, Jean Marc, and McAdoo, his nieces Ingrid, and Aliza, his many cousins, and his numerous friends.

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