Leon Richard DeVeny
Greenville Herald Banner
Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006
Leon Richard DeVeny, 74, died Dec. l0, 2006 at his home in Greenville.
Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, at Wesley United Methodist Church, with Rev. Paul Gould officiating. Burial is in Memoryland Memorial Park. Coker-Mathews Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements.
Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Alexander DeVeny, and his two children, Dianne DeVeny and David Richard DeVeny. He had one grandchild, Shannon Nichole DeVeny, and a beloved little dog, Pixie.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother, Gene Arlene DeVeny.
Leon was born on Aug, 25, 1932, to Joseph Seymore DeVeny and Betty Jo McCutchen in San Angelo, Texas. He moved as a small child to Waco, Texas where he graduated from Waco High School. He attended Arlington State University and the University of Texas in Austin.
He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Japan.
He met and married Patricia Alexander on June 20, 1959, while working in Greenville at Temco Aircraft. They moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where he worked at Goodyear Aerospace. In 1972, they returned to Greenville to work in the family business. He was vice president of the Greenville Coca Cola Bottling Company until it was sold in 1989.
Leon was a loyal member of the Greenville Rotary Club. He was the recipient of Rotarian of the Year in both 1985-1986 and 1995-1996. He served on several boards and was a Paul Harris Fellow.
Artistic talent ran in the DeVeny family. Leon’s brother Gene was noted for his work in bronze, and Leon had the honor of designing the Greenville Sesqui-Centennial Flag in 1985. He was also an avid collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia.
Pallbearers are Joe Williams, David Williams, Lee Clark, Julius Nussbaum, Tom Curtis, Charles Shirey, Perry Smith. Honorary pallbearer will be Harold Curtis.
Submitted by Elaine Nall Bay
