Daniel Owen McElwee, 80, of Levittown, a retired parole supervisor, died Sunday of heart failure at St. Mary Medical Center, Middletown Township. He had been ill for some time.
Mr. McElwee toured South America in the late 1940s to study penal institutions in several countries. He then worked in Philadelphia for 30 years for the Pennsylvania Board of Parole, retiring in 1983 as a parole supervisor.
In retirement, he used his passion for reading and history to become a self-taught historian.
A native of Sugar Notch in Luzerne County, Mr. McElwee graduated from Ashley High School, earned a bachelor's degree from Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Md., in 1940 and earned a master's in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania the next year.
He served in the Coast Guard during World War II, attaining the rank of specialist first class, and was assigned to port security at bases in California and Connecticut.
Since 1956, he resided in Levittown, where he was a member of St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church and its Holy Name Society. He also belonged to Knights of Columbus Council 302 in Wilkes-Barre, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Police Chiefs Association, and American Legion Post 0960 in Levittown.
His work with Boy Scouts of America Troop 120 at his church earned him the St. George Award.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Catherine Tracey McElwee; children, Daniel, Michael, Paul and Catherine Keough; a sister; and three grandchildren.
A viewing will be held at 9:30 a.m. today at James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, 2200 Trenton Rd., Levittown, and a Funeral Mass will be said at 11:30 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Church. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, 5201 Hulmeville Rd., Bensalem.
The family suggests contributions to Memorial Fund, c/o St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, 66 Levittown Parkway, Levittown, Pa. 19054.
