Obituary of Jhoram Dilk

Jhoram Dilk, 78, father, husband, veteran, fisherman, skier, irreverent chatterbox, and general gentleman about town passed away peacefully on Friday, June 27, 2025 making an anatomical gift of his body to the Upstate Medical School. He was surrounded by his family and the hard-charging sounds of the “Kings of Rock n’ Roll”, The Rolling Stones. A product of the Berkshires, Jhoram was born to the beat of his own drum. Neighborhood games were an excuse for rock fights and running through berry fields. The nuns at his elementary school wore out their rulers with him and the chalkboards were never as clean as when he was a student. When he dropped his own children off at college, Jhoram swore that his college years were devoted to a life of virtue and learning and industry. His college friends agree: that his chief virtue was as a gregarious friend; that his learning – of the various ways to drink from animal horns - certainly improved campus life; and that his industry – he was a pioneer of the cross-border prophylactic business, was truly of benefit to the community. In the military, Jhoram found a community that he never left. One where Jhoram’s natural sense of camaraderie and the challenges of the military appealed to his competitive spirit. From his friends in the Berlin Brigade, where he served after college, to his comrades in Vietnam, in the MACV, and among the wider Ranger community, Jhoram embodied the confidence, competence, and enthusiasm associated with them. The discipline, strength, quality, and loyalty he embodied during his service remained lifelong hallmarks of his character. Hooah. In the long decades that followed scars appeared from his experiences. Ever steadfast, Jhoram looked forward and helped others as he may have wanted to have been helped himself. It was with Project Healing Waters, an organization that helps wounded soldiers particularly those with PTSD, recover and heal through fly fishing, that Jhoram found a quiet way to continue serving others. Jhoram worked with dozens of wounded soldiers and in so doing was helped himself. He never spoke of it but he never needed to. Jhoram loved the outdoors. He skied – fast; he ran – far; he fished – exceptionally; he hiked and backpacked – aggressively; he golfed – poorly, but with gusto and lots of swearing. The wind, the rain, the snow, the sun – these were elements he could battle on his own terms. The natural world fascinated him and he was always coming home with things he found that he thought would pique our interest, often to the chagrin of our mom: snapping turtles, snakes, hawk feathers, bones, shiny rocks, and other natural wonders. Our father lived a life full of contradiction and complexity — a warrior with a caring heart, a joker with a serious sense of justice, a man forged in hardship who demonstrated compassion for those who were less off. He leaves behind a legacy of strength, love, and a thousand stories, many of which may only now be safe to tell. Born in Adams, Massachusetts in 1946, Jhoram attended St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, graduating with a degree in History. It was there that he met his wife of over 55 years, Maureen Dilk, who, sadly, predeceased him in 2024. Jhoram and Maureen traveled extensively while he was in the military. From postings in Berlin, Hawai’i, Georgia, and Detroit before they eventually settled in Fulton, NY to raise their family. Some of their adventures included: Jhoram’s teaching Maureen to drive manual cars in East Berlin under the watchful eyes of the Stasi; rescuing Maureen by surfboard when the tide pulled Maureen out to sea; dancing with Marnie to ABBA; fighting off a horde of skunks in the Adirondacks under the pouring rain; fishing with old pirates off Cape Hatteras, navigating the pubs of England with a pair of thirsty of college-age children, leading to a missed flight home; and navigating the back streets of Istanbul with Aaron, his grandson. A veteran, Jhoram was an Army Ranger, serving on the Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold War as part of the Berlin Brigade. He also served in Vietnam where he was part of the Military Assistance Command. A combat veteran, he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and a Purple Heart. In Hawai’i, he helped to train the next generation of soldiers and managed to find time to surf and spear fish. He ended his career in the US Army’s public affairs department in Detroit. After leaving the military in 1980, Jhoram and Maureen settled in Fulton, NY where they raised their sons and he worked at the Nine Mile Nuclear Power Plant, first with Niagara Mohawk, later Constellation, where he was a security supervisor. It was in Fulton, a quintessential small town, where Jhoram made his lasting home. Jhoram was a life-long angler and he attempted to share his passion with his boys. The boys’ introduction to fishing began when they were tall enough to stand above the waterline. In the Fall, when the salmon started to run, Jhoram would excitedly wake them up at “0 Dark Thirty” and carry them and all their gear over his shoulders across the river. Once safely across, he showed them how to hook and land a coho salmon that was as big as or bigger than them. He counseled “if the waters rise, just swim like hell to the shore and don’t tell your mom”. When the boys went fishing with other families, they found the experience far less stimulating. As a father, he was deeply devoted — present, protective, and proud. His family was his foundation, and he poured himself into it. Jhoram always supported his kids. His kids' school had a used-battery drive. The class that collected the most used batteries to recycle won a massive prize (pizza and eternal glory). After hearing about this, Jhoram appeared home with buckets of used batteries. He never said where he got them but nuclear facilities use a lot of batteries. His son’s classes always won. Jhoram assistant coached various youth sports teams – soccer and ice hockey – throughout his kid’s childhoods. He was loud, he was largely ignorant of the rules, but he loved watching the kids play and was never shy about telling the team to “hit those guys harder”. We did our best. When a hurricane threatened to derail his son Joshua’s wedding, including the destruction of the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was being held, Jhoram got creative and found a dance club on a roof in Manhattan and told everyone to ignore the neon and get to drinking. He is survived by his son, Joshua Dilk, his wife Diane Zhang, and their son Aaron, of Boston, MA, and his other son, Stephen Dilk & his wife Julia Monroe, of Enterprise, OR, his sister-in-law Nancy Leary, of Middletown, CT, and countless friends and comrades who were lucky enough to know the full measure of the man. Jhoram’s family is grateful for the wonderful care he received at the VA Hospital in Syracuse. In lieu of flowers, we ask people to please consider making a donation in Jhoram’s name to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc., P.O. Box 695, LaPlata, MD 20646 or online at www.projecthealingwaters.org. Calling hours will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at Brown Funeral Home, 21 Flood Drive in Fulton, casual attire is preferred. Graveside services with military honors will be held at a later date. Condolences for Jhoram’s family may be left at www.brownfuneralhomefulton.com.