Lyndon G. Delcore

PLATTSBURGH — Lyndon Gary Delcore's long, productive, and sometimes-colorful life ended quickly and quietly at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. He was 83, and he will be missed.

Born in Tupper Lake, N.Y. on Sept. 15, 1942, he was the son of George and Alice (Emlaw) Delcore.

He was raised in Lake Placid, where he attended local schools, and graduated from Lake Placid High School in 1961. A three-sport athlete during his high school days, he excelled in football, hockey and baseball. An active member of the drama club, he was elected class president and crowned king of the Lake Placid High School Winter Carnival in his senior year.

On Feb. 20, 1960 he married Mary Diane Dufort in Keene, N.Y. They later parted, but not before starting a family and settling in Plattsburgh.

After graduating from high school he worked briefly for his father at the Grand Union in Lake Placid, before moving to Plattsburgh where he managed the meat department and deli at the Grand Union there. In order to support his growing young family, he took a second job at the Chuck Wagon — a popular corner store and delicatessen, that he eventually purchased and ran for decades, along with the neighboring laundromat.

He owned both successful businesses, and was well-known in the community, when he met the love of his life, future wife, and forever partner, Carolyn Morrisey. They were married on Jan. 3, 1976 and continued to grow his family.

Survivors include: his devoted wife, and, in his later years, tireless caregiver, Carolyn Delcore; three sons, David Delcore, and his wife Laura, of Montpelier, Vt., Randy Delcore, and his wife, Lindsey, of Cedar City Utah, and Scott Delcore, and his wife, Jennifer, of Ballston Spa, N.Y.; three daughters, Kim Delcore and her husband, Jon Ducatte, of Peru, N.Y., and Lisa and Laura Delcore, both of Plattsburgh; one sister, Georgianna Delcore, and her special friend, Eric Boate, of Saranac, N.Y.; nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by one son, Lyndon Dennis “Denny” Delcore; two brothers, Harry James “Jack” Delcore, and Gaylon Delcore; two sisters, Beverly Delcore, and Jean Delcore, who died as an infant.

Over the years he was called many names — Lyn, Dad, Lyndon, Pops, Big Daddy, Grampa Lyndon, Poppy, Papa, Coach, and Chuck — and happily answered to all of them.

An accomplished athlete, and avid sports fan, he coached youth hockey in Plattsburgh for several years, and was a radio color commentator for the Plattsburgh State hockey team. He called their games for a few seasons alongside Mike Mannix on WIRY.

He grew up golfing, and notched two holes-in-one before giving up the game due to health issues. His first came while working as a caddie in Lake Placid, and much later he aced a hole at Bluff Point Golf Resort, where he was a member for many years.

Though fiercely opinionated about everything from politics to sports, he was an accepting man, with an uncanny knack for meeting people where they were and making them feel comfortable. It served him well in his business where he worked until he couldn't, and was a friend to generations of Plattsburgh State students.

At home his off-the-cuff, and always family-centric take on grace launched many memorable Thanksgiving Day meals. Those, and other holiday meals were attended by extended family, friends, and frequently by those he invited to join because they would otherwise have been alone.

He was a bottomless pit of witty one-liners and colorful colloquialisms — some served up during late-night, and often early-morning phone calls to close friends, though that habit had subsided in recent years.

His always on time and off-tune birthday serenades to family members were a tradition until the end, and they will be sorely missed, as will his taste in music, which ranged from the “Beer Barrel Polka” to “Hail to the Chief.”

He loved life, his wife, his family, his businesses (which are still family-run) and most everything, with the notable exception of kale.

A private memorial service is planned, and a celebration of his life will be held later this summer at the convenience of the family.

Donations in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association at heart.org.