Ryan Delaney, 12, of Buffalo Grove, a 7th grader at Jack London Middle School in Wheeling, died Monday, March 20, in Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Ryan, who was born in Hoffman Estates, was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Buffalo Grove, where he participated in Boy Scout Troop 140. “Ryan was voted by his classmates as a star student,” said Julie Schaeffer, Ryan’s home-base teacher at London Middle School. “On our team there are 75 students. They elect star students who follow our life skills. Ryan was someone they could count on, someone who made them feel safe. He was their friend.” Principal Wendy Billington said: “He was a unique little boy. He really touched a lot of kids’ hearts. He was so kind and friendly. He had a great sense of humor. He was always an upbeat kid. He wanted to do well.” Survivors include his parents, Joseph and Julie Ann; a sister, Colleen; and his grandparents, James and Joan Wenzel and Bernard and Mary Delaney. A visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights. Prayers will be said at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the funeral home, followed by a mass at 11 a.m. in St. Mary Catholic Church, 75 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove.
