Agnestell (Del) Cronin Lennon

Del, a 70 plus year resident of Berkeley and Emeryville passed away in her home on October 16th. Born in Butte Montana on June 3, 1924, Del was a true Montana gal, proud of her Big Sky, mining and union heritage.

Del attended Butte High, St Louis University and Cal where she met her husband Jim. While at Cal she loved living in International House, where she made lifelong connections from all over. Del was preceded in death by husband Jim and her beloved sister and brothers Vivianna, Frank, and Jackie. She is also survived by 5 children: David (Casey dec’d), Kathy, Joseph (Dennis) Margaret and Anne (Shani) and 6 grandchildren: Peter, Blake, Mark, Kate Harry and Bea.

Del traveled throughout a rebuilding post war Europe with her friend Esther by bicycle, a highly unusual and daring proposition for 2 young women at the time. They spent 9 months sleeping in hay lofts and traveling from England to Italy and back. Returning home to the Bay Area, Del worked in a number of positions including with the Bureau of Labor Statistics which took her all over the country managing field operations for consumer studies. Married in 1953, Jim and

Del set about pursuing conventional jobs and family life raising 5 children in 1960’s and 70’s Berkeley. Del had a keen interest in arts and culture and, with Jim, held long subscriptions to opera, theater, and dance. They folk danced throughout their lives.

They eventually purchased East Bay Drayage and Warehouse Co. and operated it for years, employing all of the children at various points. After raising those kids and sending them off on productive paths, Jim and Del retired early and pursued travel, the arts, lectures, dancing, exercise with even more vigor than they had previously. Always great consumers and lovers of culture, their new freedom in retirement allowed them to experience new locations and lifelong learning while traveling the world.

Del was a class act, her posture perfect, manners impeccable, polite to a fault. These traits and her supreme kindness mark her life and stayed with her to her death. If you think of Del, think of her in joyous dance.

A mass will be celebrated at St Augustine’s Catholic Church in Oakland on Friday November 8 at 11 am, followed by a reception.