Meet Looch

Lucien “Looch” Delean is a photographer, writer, and street minister whose journey spans orchards, illness, and outreach.

Roots and Rural Beginnings

How do you do? My name is Lucien Alexander Delean, and I am a 62 year old male who hails from the town of Beamsville Ontario, Canada. Born on a fruit farm to parents of French and Ukrainian heritage, my formative years were spent enjoying the beauty of the Beamsville bench, at the foot of the majestic Niagara Escarpment.

My education began at St. John’s Catholic School located between Beamsville and Grimsby along old highway 8. My high school years were spent in attendance at Beamsville District Secondary School, where I attained my grade 12 diploma. After my graduation, I assisted my family in the operation of our 50 acre family farm called Del-Ko Orchards, which just so happened to be located right next door to St.John’s school. Hopping the fence between the two was my regular routine on a daily basis as I came and went mornings, lunch, and at the end of the school day.

Work, Family, and Fatherhood

In 1989 I decided that the farm just wasn’t big enough for my brother Julian and I, so I went my own way and was subsequently hired by the Corporation of The Town of Lincoln, where I joined the public works department as a skilled laborer. It was a good job, consisting of a wide variety of tasks ranging from road maintenance in summer and winter, grass cutting in parks and cemeteries, and a variety of other jobs such as responsible truck operation and usage of a wide variety of power tools to perform various tasks. In the summer of 1993, I met my future wife Linda, a school teacher, and married her a year later on July 30th, 1994. In December of 1997 our first son Justin was born, to be followed by our second son Nathan in June of 1999. Ashley, our daughter and third child, was born August of 2003.

I remained with the Town of Lincoln until my resignation in the spring of 2001, upon which I became a part time professional videographer in conjunction with being a very enthusiastic and dedicated ’Stay at home dad’.

Illness and Grace

For the next nine years my family and I continued to live in Beamsville. During this interim, my wife’s job situation became somewhat tentative, resulting in our decision to move to the quaint village of Georgetown in the Halton Hills region, where she found employment working at a school in Brampton. Just when life seemed to be going without a hitch, I began to experience symptoms consistent with the early stages of esophageal cancer. This was confirmed in March of 2011, prompting immediate treatment consisting of chemotherapy, major surgery, and a second round of chemo in the autumn of 2011. Obviously, praise God, it was not my time to go.

Statistically speaking, the fact I am writing this to you today is nothing short of a miracle. Yes they do happen, whether we care to admit it or not.

The years in Georgetown were great in many ways, but once again, my wife’s career hit a few rough spots, and we ended up moving to Ottawa in 2016. During that period my wife became a high school principal and I persued my photography career. For the next seven years we endured the much colder and longer winters of the Ottawa region. Suddenly one fine spring day came when my wife asked me if I wanted to get out of Ottawa. Before I was able to say I’m not sure, I found myself on an airplane headed for California!

California and Calling

If ever a person had felt like a fish out of water, I was a big fat carp sucking air on the shore of life. It was either grow a set of lungs and legs and live, or just lie there and die, and I refused to accept the latter as an option. Upon the suggestion of an elderly gentleman, I began to do volunteer work at a local Outreach that assisted ‘unsheltered’ folks in the City of Visalia, located in Central Valley Region of California. Almost immediately I realized I had found my niche. Everyday I returned seem to confirm that I had found my ‘Calling’ alongside those that were suffering through various addictions and mental health issues. It were as though I had plugged into a socket that had my name written on it. For about a year I became increasingly involved in the lives of many, many people and amassed a group of friends like I had never done in my life. Good friends. Abiding friends.

Up until that point in time, I had no desire to pick up my camera and take any photos of my newfound friends, for I did not wish to exploit their sufferings in any way whatsoever. Strangely though, one cool night while volunteering at what was simply called ’The Warming Center’, I hesitantly began to take a few images of several individuals, with their express permission of course. It was at this moment that I realized that I still ‘Had it’, and if that were the case, I should begin using what I had for something that might make a difference in the lives of those that could use someone in their corner, documenting images as a possible way to draw attention to what has proven to be an ever growing crisis. Even worse, it’s a sad reflection on most of humanity itself, and its selfish tendency to turn a blind eye towards those that desperately need assistance the most.

Ministry and Return

For the remainder of my stay in Visalia, I dedicated my life to assisting my friends in any way I could according to my abilities and finances. I had not only found my purpose in life in more ways than one, but my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ became renewed in ways that I could never have imagined as well. I took up writing as well, consistently churning out what would best be described as a Christian blog, which up till now only a select few have been privy to. About 9 months ago my wife and I returned to the Niagara Region where I continue with my ministry of assisting those in need through my photography, writing, and general availability to those in need of a friend in their struggles.

There you go. That was a little about me. Who this really is all about in reality is my Lord and all he has done for me. I simply wish to pay it forward to the best of my ability all to his glory.

Thank you,

Lucien Alexander Delean, aka ‘Looch’

Tuesday October 21st, 2025