Ron DeLacy, who helped bring a deeper, beyond-the-final-score approach to sports journalism to Hawaii in a decade as the sports editor and executive sports editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, has died.

DeLacy, 69, died Monday after a bout with cancer in Columbia, Calif., where he had retired after nearly a half-century in journalism.

DeLacy oversaw sports at the Advertiser in the 1970s.

An Army veteran, DeLacy attended the University of Hawaii and University of Oregon, and worked for six daily newspapers, most recently the Modesto Bee.

While DeLacy sought probing by his reporters, he also delighted in crafting catchy, often-irreverent headlines.

"Ron DeLacy was a mentor to a generation of young sports reporters, including me," said Ken Kobayashi, Star-Advertiser court reporter. "He used wit and humor to encourage us to report on the human stories behind the final scores. He also led by example.

"He was an excellent columnist, he worked hard, enjoyed life and shared that joy with us."

Delacy was an avid surfer and accomplished musician. Several of his songs were inspired by news events he had covered.

He was a grand marshal in this year’s Fourth of July parade in Columbia.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa; son Max and daughters Macejko and Lilly and one grandchild, Cole.