Bobby Carroll Delaney, 91, of Xenia, went Home to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton.

Born July 8, 1935, in Jackson, Ohio, to Robert A. and Clara Conley Delaney, Bobby lived a life marked by faith, family, service, a wonderfully stubborn resolve, an infectious smile and an unmistakable presence.

His ministry journey began as a young man serving as a youth leader at Bowersville Church of Christ. In 1964, Bobby helped found North Side Christian Church in Xenia, where he would worship, lead and serve for nearly 55 years. Late in 2019, the Lord led Bobby and Carolyn back to First Church of Christ in Xenia, returning them to a congregation that had been part of their earlier story and where they once again found a church home.

For Bobby, though, church was never just somewhere you went. She was something you served.

For more than 70 years, Bobby and Carolyn helped lead people in worship. As a song evangelist, Bobby traveled throughout Ohio and across the country for revivals, conventions and special gatherings. As a founding member and longtime leader of The King’s Men Quartet, he joined Francis Reed, Orville Labig, Aubrey Woods, Harold Vance and Carolyn Delaney in blessing churches and communities for more than five decades.

There is, of course, some wonderful irony in all of that. Bobby could not read music.

There was even a season when the man who probably could not have distinguished a musical note from a Rorschach test directed the choir at North Side Christian Church.

And he did it with Bobby bravado.

Full confidence. No hesitation. Just Bobby.

Bobby took his calling to serve the Church infinitely seriously. If someone was missing on Sunday, he noticed. He visited shut-ins, carried communion to those who could no longer attend, and was known to spend Tuesday evenings checking on people he had missed the Sunday before.

He showed up.

He was a teacher, counselor, mentor and father figure to many.

He was also a talker. Lord, was he a talker.

And if Bobby liked you, there was a pretty good chance he would give you a little grief.

The gentle barb, the wry poke, the perfectly timed jab delivered with that grin were something of a Bobby Delaney love language. Affection was often tucked inside the teasing, and those closest to him knew how to hear it.

He could also be stubborn about how things “should be.” There will be plenty of knowing smiles at that sentence. Yet underneath that resolve was a tenderness he did not always wear on the outside. It showed itself less through sentiment and more through loyalty, presence and service.

Bobby worked for Delco Moraine and retired as a metallurgist, a profession in which he took considerable pride. With a basic formal education, he learned his craft, worked hard and built a career that reflected both his intelligence and determination. He also served in the United States Army Reserve.

Away from work and church, Bobby loved golf. He treasured trips to South Carolina, Pebble Beach, the Masters, Scotland and England. He was competitive, energetic and, before illness slowed him, rarely content to stay put for very long.

Then there were his Ohio State Buckeyes.

Bobby loved them. And, on certain Saturdays, he was pretty sure they were trying to kill him. He rode the waves of Buckeye football with passion, could be completely flabbergasted by “Tressel Ball,” and was known to wax longingly for Woody Hayes and the good old days of three yards and a cloud of dust. Saturdays in the fall were rarely emotionally neutralthat is for sure.

And the man could dress.

Bobby was a fashionable fella, often noted for his haberdashery. He appreciated looking sharp and had definite opinions about how a gentleman ought to present himself. The clothes, the smile, the voice and that unmistakable personality were all part of the package.

Yet at the center of Bobby’s earthly life was Carolyn.

Bobby and Carolyn were married for nearly 68 years, a milestone they would have celebrated this year, and had been together for nearly 75. Their lives became inseparable through family, ministry, church, travel and all the ordinary and extraordinary seasons that come with nearly three-quarters of a century together. Carolyn was never simply beside Bobby’s ministry. She was part of it.

And then there were the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Bobby loved being Grandpa, and he practiced it largely by being present. Soccer games, musicals, school events, performances, whatever they were doing, Bobby was going to do his best to be there. If they were doing, Bobby was “being”: present, proud and cheerleading with passion.

That delight carried right into another generation.

Benjamin could leave him shaking his head with a smile and some variation of, “That one is something else.” And watching young Oliver swing a golf club brought out both Bobby’s pride and his amazement: “I can't believe that kid can hit a golf ball like that already.”

Those little observations were Bobby.

He noticed. He watched. He took pride. And he wanted you to know it.

Bobby was also the last surviving of the seven Delaney boys, and the sixth son in that remarkable line: Glenn, Lester, Chester, Willard, Floyd, Bobby, and Lamar.

Seven very different brothers, but unmistakably sons of Robert and Clara Delaney, shaped by family, hard work, perseverance and faith. Bobby’s Homegoing closes a remarkable earthly chapter in the Delaney family story.

Bobby is survived by his beloved wife, Carolyn (Jones) Delaney; sons Pastor Greg (Beth) Delaney and Darin (Dani) Delaney; grandchildren Hillary (Cameron) Schleich, Samantha (Alex) Carlson, Ian Delaney, Megan Delaney and Morghan Delaney; and great-grandchildren Oliver, Benjamin, Grayson and Mia.

He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Luwanna Dawkins, Katherine Delaney, Betty Delaney and Evelyn Delaney; numerous nieces and nephews; generations of church family and friends; and his dear friend James Gable, affectionately known as “Pap.” Pap and Bobby shared the wonderful privilege of being grandfathers to the same family, a connection that grew into a treasured friendship all its own.

Bobby was preceded in death by his parents, Robert A. and Clara Conley Delaney, and his six brothers.

The nearly eight-year journey of illness had its effect, but it never completely took Bobby away. There were still conversations, smiles, engagement, an occasional poke and flashes of that familiar personality right to the end.

After several months under hospice care, Bobby entered Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for what would become an approximately eight-hour final stay. Shortly before going Home, he enjoyed one of life’s simple pleasures:

a dish of ice cream.

Somehow, that feels exactly right.

A Celebration of Bobby’s Life will be held Sunday, October 4, 2026, at First Church of Christ, 441 Ledbetter Road, Xenia, Ohio.

The family will receive friends and loved ones from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m.

At 6:00 p.m., we will celebrate Bobby with a good old-fashioned Sunday night church service: worship, stories, laughter, remembrance, the Gospel and the hope that anchored his life.

And afterward, what else?

Pizza. Ice cream. And Krispy Kreme doughnuts, light on ones only, of course.

If you know, you know.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be directed to the First Church of Christ BUCKETS OF HOPE, extending Bobby’s legacy of showing up for people by helping meet needs throughout the Xenia community.

Bobby spent a lifetime pointing people toward Jesus.

And no, he couldn't read the notes.

But he definitely knew the Song.