Fredric Nevin Dellinger passed away at home in St. Leonard, MD in his sleep early March 21, 2026, at the age of 81. Realistically, he had been gone from his family and friends for quite a while due to the cruelty of dementia. He was a devoted husband of 61 years to Karen Kendell Dellinger; a loving father to Dana Newswanger (Brian) and Christine Perry; and a loving grandfather to Nicholas Perry (Kayla). He was preceded in death by his parents, his twin brother William Dellinger, and his sister Linda Wentz, all of York, PA.

He was born in York, PA on November 29, 1944, to Nevin and Frances Dellinger. He graduated from William Penn Senior High School where he played on the golf team. He met Karen while attending Penn State, and they married in 1965. After he graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering the family moved to southern California where he had a long and distinguished career in the defense industry. While working at Hughes Aircraft he led a portion of the development of the “Star Wars” missile defense system before handing it off to Boeing for the next phase. That work provided a basis for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system being used today.

In his twenties he discovered sailing in Santa Monica Bay. He owned several sail boats with good friends as boat partners and became an accomplished racer. He skippered Bandit to win the 1975 Santana 27 National Championship. The family spent many vacations onboard Bandit at Catalina Island. In the ‘90s he and Dana would take father/daughter trips to Catalina. He was a longtime active member and board member of Palos Verdes/Redondo Beach Yacht Club.

In January 2000 he and Karen retired to the Solomons Island area on the Chesapeake Bay. They traded in their sailboat for a small power boat to explore the Bay. He crewed in races with the Southern Maryland Sailing Association, including the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge. He became the gleeful self-appointed caretaker of Dana and Brian’s sailboat, which was docked for many years in the marina near their house. He still loved “futzing” (his word) on sailboats!

Locally in California and Maryland he was very civically engaged. In retirement he and Karen were prolific volunteers at Jefferson Patterson Park enjoying local history and participating in archaeological digs. They also enjoyed many cruises in the Caribbean, New England, and Europe.

He is greatly missed.