Delores Joy (Feighner) Habiby, 91, passed on to eternal life at home in Marion, IN with loved ones surrounding her. Delores was born in Marion, IN, the daughter of the late DeLoss Henry Feighner and the late Mildred (Bowers) Feighner Herman. Delores was the youngest of the two sisters and preceded in death by her sister Patricia Ann (Feighner) Farrell.
Delores was a graduate of St. Paul Catholic High School and attended Marian College in Indianapolis, IN studying liberal arts. She transferred to Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, OH and lived in Cincinnati, OH working at Jackson Box, Gruen Watch, and a placement agency. She decided to move to and work in Houston, TX. She returned to Marion, IN and worked at the Veterans Administration for the Psychiatric Evaluation Project then moved to Manchester, NH prior to getting married. She worked at the license office. She married the late Elias Jamil Habiby at St. Paul Catholic Church, Marion, IN, August 2, 1958 and moved to Sanford, ME where son, John Jamil Habiby (1959) was born. The family moved to Long Island, NY where sons James DeLoss Habiby (1961) and Jeffrey Francis Habiby (1963), and daughter Mary Genevieve Habiby (1967) were born. Delores moved back to Marion, IN with the four children in 1971. She worked at Marion Municipal Utilities, retired from Marion Community Schools after 21 years of classroom teaching service focusing on special education, and successfully raised four children.
Delores was first and foremost guided by her faith, and it was unwavering. She was a prayer warrior for so many. She was a parishioner of St. Paul Catholic Church, started the Blue Army prayer group, and was a member of the Altar and Rosary Society. Sunday Mass, Holy Days of Obligation, First Friday Benediction, Saturday morning Blue Army rosary prayer group, and wearing her scapular were rituals of her deep faith.
Delores loved swinging on the front porch and taking rides in the country. She spent time visiting with family at Buckeye Lake, OH; Lake Wawasee, IN; and North Webster, IN throughout the years. Visiting Brown County, IN in the fall and having picnics in the park were annual events. She enjoyed traveling to Massachusetts, Michigan, South Carolina, Ohio, and Florida. “Grandma Dee Dee” was known for always having some sort of candy or chocolate in her pocket for the grandkids to pull out. When being photographed with them, she would often turn her head just so and give a certain look known as her “model pose.” St. Patrick’s Day was your lucky day to receive a phone call and hear her sing “Oh Danny Boy.” As whimsical as she could be, she was also a voracious reader and lifelong learner often found taking college courses just for the sake of learning: chemistry, Russian and Eastern European History, sociology, and nursing courses.
Delores was naturally talented in the arts. She enjoyed music and loved Tony Bennett seeing him in concert as well as Liberace. Delores could often be found playing the piano by ear entertaining those around her with some of her favorites “Alfie,” “Girl from Ipanema,” and “On a Clear Day.” She enjoyed drawing and painting. Whether she was creating murals on the children’s bedroom wall or exploring watercolors on canvas, she always had a vision. She won fourth place in the Indiana State Fair Exhibition in 2001 for her watercolor painting named “Rhapsody in Color” and had an exhibit in the Indiana State Fair of her watercolor painting called “Adam and Eve” in 2002. From a very young age she wrote poetry. It was a very natural skill since she witnessed her mother often writing words and music to many songs. She was a published poet in 2014 in This Time Around with her poem “The Bell” inspired by walking on a beautiful spring morning with a heavenly bell sound vibrating from every direction. It lifted her spirits and made her feel as if she had left the earth and was headed for the clouds. It was a most delightful experience, which she has tried to share in her imaginative poetry. Over the years, she found her poetry changing from rather serious and introspective to a more lighthearted and sometimes humorous style. Upon arising one morning, she found herself wondering if our first parents were like most of us. Did they get tired doing the same things every day? Did they ever think about leaving the Garden and long for a change of scenery? Her mind took flight. Hence, in 2015 “Restless in Paradise” came tumbling out of her and was published in Who’s Who in American Poetry. She was also published in Best Poets of 2016 with her poem “Hanging On” about a little rose she would watch from the joy of her front porch beyond the windowpane just hanging on through the forces of Mother Nature.
Delores was preceded in death by her son James DeLoss Habiby {Ollie (Baker) Habiby Krall} in 2007 and is survived by her honorary daughter, friend and caretaker Debra Roser; sons John Habiby (Teresa Habiby), Jeffrey Habiby (Nan Habiby); and daughter Mary Habiby-Lucchese(Matt Lucchese). Six grandchildren: Kristy Habiby, Megan (Habiby) Ball, Grace Lucchese-Brooks, Dominic Lucchese, Jorden Habiby, and Emma Lucchese. Five great grandchildren: Sophia Toliver, Brooklyn Ball, Kalena Thomas, Turzo Lucchese-Brooks, and Ivy Jay Habiby.
A special thank you to all the family and friends, Stillwater Hospice, Gentle Hearts, and Chris Ailes Agency for the prayers, love, support, and care of Delores and her family throughout these difficult times.
Visitation will be Wednesday, May 1, 2024 11:00AM-12:00PM followed by a Rosary Service and Funeral Mass all held at St. Paul Catholic Church in Marion, IN with Father Ted Rothrock officiating. Burial will follow mass at Grant Memorial Cemetery.
Online condolences may be made at www.ravenchoate.com
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