Lawrence DeLuca was one of the few government officials who could say his true job was to look out for consumers, and the genial man took the task quite seriously.

Mr. DeLuca, part of a well-known family that has succeeded in both Larimer sausage-making and Penn Hills politics, spent the past 21 years as an inspector of weights and measures for Allegheny County, 15 of those as the department chief -- meaning he fielded the calls whenever anyone felt cheated at a cash register, gas pump or other device audited by the inspectors.

"He felt his job was to go out and make sure the merchant was delivering what they were supposed to," said one consumer activist who called frequently, Mary Bach of Murrysville. "He did such good work on behalf of equity in the marketplace and working on behalf of fairness for consumers."

Mr. DeLuca died Friday, apparently of stroke-related complications, at UPMC Presbyterian. The Penn Hills resident was 69 and still active in his second career working for the county.

In his boyhood he helped run DeLuca's Meats on Larimer Avenue. It was founded by his father, also named Larry, as his own second career in 1950. Mr. DeLuca and his younger brother, Anthony, continued working in the family business long after the family moved to Penn Hills in the mid-1950s.

Anthony DeLuca has been a state representative from Penn Hills since 1983. Lawrence DeLuca became a Democratic committeeman and assisted in his brother's campaigns, as well as those of his brother's son, Anthony DeLuca Jr., now mayor of Penn Hills. Mr. DeLuca also served on the Penn Hills Zoning Hearing Board from 1998 to 2003.

He was known for an amiable, conscientious demeanor, in both public life and private.

Mr. DeLuca's position as a county inspector began in 1987. He spent his days visiting supermarkets, gas stations, department stores and other places of business where product prices were affected by weight scales, computerized scanners or other devices that could occasionally be amiss. As chief inspector, Mr. DeLuca had to make sure those entrepreneurs corrected problems and treated consumers fairly.

His department this year came under the supervision of county Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty, who called Mr. DeLuca "diligent and consistently professional. ... It will be extremely difficult to replace him."

In addition to his brother, Mr. DeLuca is survived by his wife, Judy; a daughter, Cheryl McCreary of Minnesota; and a son, Scott W. Buzzard of Penn Hills.

A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. today in St. Joseph Church, 825 Second St., Verona.

Arrangements are by William F. Gross Funeral Home, Penn Hills.