Stephen Charles Delgado

Stephen Charles Delgado passed away at the age of 74 on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Fairhope, Alabama, after an unexpected diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Stephen was born in Dinuba, CA. Stephen began his career in law enforcement as a Military Police with the U.S. Army serving in Korea during the Vietnam war. Following his military service, he became a police officer with the City of Visalia, CA. In 1977, he was recruited by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Los Angeles where he began his very successful career both nationally and internationally. Stephen had several transfers, including a 3-year tour in Madrid, Spain, where he was the Assistant Country Attaché. Spain holds a very dear spot in Stephen’s heart as it is where he met the love of his life, Begoñe Alvarez. Stephen returned to the U.S. in 1991 as the Group Supervisor in Fresno, and later the Resident Agent in Charge in Sacramento. In 2000, he was assigned to Internal Affairs in Washington D.C. as a Senior Inspector. In 2001, he was promoted to Assistant Agent in Charge in San Francisco, and then to Special Agent in Charge in San Francisco. In 2004, he was again transferred to be the Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division; the position he held when he retired in December 2005. He was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the DEA Exceptional Performance Award in 1995 and 2000. Stephen’s retirement concluded 31 years of dedicated service to DEA. Following his retirement, Stephen returned to the Sacramento area where he was appointed to the position of Deputy Director for the Western States Intelligence Network (WSIN), a position he held until April 2019 when he fully retired. Stephen often remarked that he was so blessed because he was able to travel, make friends, and have such wonderful experiences all while serving his country. He was a “Forest Gump” of sorts in that he was in situations not typically seen as in when he was in the DMZ in Korea during the USS Pueblo incident, as well as a police officer during the riots in Kansas City and Berkeley in the 60s. As a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Stephen was also assigned the duty of Casualty Notification Officers (CNO). As such, he would notify the family of the death of their fallen soldier. In 2019, Stephen and Begoñe relocated to Fairhope, Alabama, fully enjoying the life of retirees. He is preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Delgado, and his brother, Christopher Delgado. Aside from Begoñe, with whom he recently celebrated 30 years of marriage, he leaves behind two adult children, Melanie Vanciel (fiancé Joel Carson) and Stephen Delgado II (Defne Dachtbani); as well as his grandchildren: Kaden Bayne Vanciel, Sloane Vanciel, Rhys Vanciel, Sadie Delgado, and Felix Delgado; Brothers-in-law Fernando Alvarez (Kris Hite), Iñaki Alvarez (Diana Robinson), and sister-in-law Miren Alvarez (Robert Linhart). He will be sorely missed by his family, as well as the many friends who cherish him. Stephen was a parishioner of St. Lawrence Catholic Church. He was fiercely devoted to God, family, and country. Stephen will be interned at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Visitation will be held at Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home, Fairhope, on Thursday, July 27, 2023, from 6:00 until 8:00 PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be held in Fairhope, AL on Friday, July 28, 2023, at 11:00 am at St. Lawrence Catholic Church (370 S Section St, Fairhope, AL 36532). There will also be another Mass of Christian Burial in Fresno, CA on Friday, August 18, 2023, at 10:00 am at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church (355 E Champlain Dr, Fresno, CA 93730). In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society. ARRANGEMENTS BY WOLFE-BAYVIEW FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY, INC. 19698 GREENO RD. FAIRHOPE AL. 36532 (251) 990-7775