John Robert De Luca

John Robert De Luca left this world in a sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death on December 8, 2022 at the age of 72 years old. He was preceded in death by his father Sylvester, his mother Elizabeth, and his older brother James , Sr. John was a brilliant, precocious, and mercurial child who loved and befriended every species of animal, had an uncanny memory and mechanical ability, a strong work ethic even after he was unable to work, enjoyed the Beatles, and a variety of '60's rock music, reading Buddhist philosophy, fishing, spending time with friends, and family events. But for over fifty years John also increasingly, but courageously, suffered unimaginable pain, despair, and disability from the ravages of schizophrenia. He is survived by a loving contingent of his younger siblings, Mary De Luca (spouse James Goodman) and Michael De Luca, multiple nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins, and his friend and roommate Victor - many of whom fondly recall that he was the only person who was always able to fix that toy which had stopped working or that car that had inexplicably broken down. Even when in pain, John always managed to have a big smile and friendly greeting for all his health care providers. His greatest joy in recent times was taking care of and feeding a couple of beloved feral cats that visited his home on a daily basis. He will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A visitation will be held on Friday, January 13 at 9:00am at Daniels Family Funeral Services. A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 13 at 10:00am followed by a burial service at Gate of Heaven.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Animal Humane NM https://animalhumanenm.org/ or Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless https://nhchc.org/albuquerque-health-care-for-the-homeless-inc-2/