O. Delos (Del) Stage

He was born Oct. 21, 1929, in the town of Westfield. A member of the Dewittville community since age 5, the son of the late Otto Henry Stage and Mildred Curtis Stage.

On April 14, 1956, Del married the love of his life, Donna Cheney Stage. Together they served the Lord with every breath. He belonged to Dewittville United Methodist Church from childhood, serving as a trustee, Sunday school superintendent, teacher, small group leader, and choir leader. He was a member of the building committee for the Bemus Point United Methodist Church. Missions and teams were a particular passion for him and he enjoyed trips with his church groups and helping others build or rebuild their homes and lives.

Del was a 76-year member of the Dewittville Volunteer Fire Department. He served as the secretary for 40 continuous years. Del’s passion for protecting lives and property in our district and our neighboring departments provides the standard we train our members for. From your fellow firefighters we will be forever grateful for the good fortune of being able to say that Del Stage was a brother firefighter. Take rest brother we will take it from here. We will be forever grateful for the lives you have touched.

He was a graduate of the Mayville school system, graduating in 1947. He worked various jobs within the milk industry for over 25 years taking a short break to serve in the U.S. Army (May 1953-May 1955 – during the Korean War). In 1973, he accepted a position as a Nationwide Insurance agent and touched the lives of thousands of Chautauqua County residents assisting and coaching them with their insurance protection. Nationwide Insurance honored him over his 30 years of service with numerous awards.

His hobbies included model railroading, singing, playing on the guitar, woodworking, gardening, and mowing the lawn. Del could always be found with a hammer in his hand, a saw by his side or on the seat of his John Deere tractor. He loved Chautauqua Lake and worked on various projects. This included the Chautauqua Belle, the Stow Ferry and the Sea Lion to name a few. He was happiest when he was helping his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and passing on life lessons that he had learned.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Cheney Stage of the home; brother, Paul Stage; sister, Martha Crandall; son Paul (Rose) Stage of Maple Springs; daughter, Yvonne (Bonnie) Josephson of High Point, N.C.; daughter-in-law, Heidi Stage of Homer, Alaska; and daughter, Cindy Lawson (Jim) of Jamestown. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren blessed his life: Kristen (Nader) Stage-Geleil (and their children: Mariam and Joud), Paul (Jordan) Stage (and their children: Grace and Adelyn), Matthew Stage, Jeremy (Amanda) Woltz (and their child, Venice), Courtney Stage, Asa (Ha-ley) Stage (and their children: Freya, Esmay and Ellie; Ebtehal (Sammie) Sudan (and their children: Besma, Nawal and Jamal) and Susan Suwan.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters: Louise Malchow (Leonard), Marie Crandall (Sheldon), Char Wood (Hugh)); his son, Timothy Stage; and son-in law, Thomas Josephson.

The funeral will be held at 1p.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022, at the Dewittville United Methodist Church (5452 Meadows Rpad, Dewittville, NY 14728). Burial will be in the Bemus Point Cemetery).

Friends are welcome to call on Sunday, July 17, 2022, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m., at the Freay Funeral Home in Mayville (139 S. Erie St).

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Dewittville United Methodist Church or Dewittville Volunteer Fire Department.

To leave a remembrance or to post condolences to the family, please visit freayfuneralhome.com.