Benjamin Franklin Devereux Jr.

Benjamin F. Devereux Benjamin F. Devereux was born January 1, 1923 in Cedar Bayou, Texas. He graduated from high school in Cedar Bayou in 1940. He worked as a pilot on a tug boat for the Kilgore Material Yard in Baytown, Texas. He married Hilda (Menke) Devereux on December 24, 1941. He was called into service during WWII. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater at Hawaii, then the Island of Emerau, then to the Philippines. When he returned home, he went to work at the Baytown-La Porte tunnel as a control room operator. In 1969 he joined the Texas Forest Service in La Grange, Texas. He worked in the Bastrop area and also was Smokey the Bear in schools and parades. He retired in 1988. He was a long time member of Faith Lutheran Church in McDade, Texas where he served as Chairman of the Council for 3 years. He attended the Adult Sunday School Class and the Tuesday morning Sunshine Bible Study Class. In 2010 he and Hilda joined the First United Methodist Church in Bastrop, Texas. He was preceded in death by: his parents, Frank and Vera Devereux; a sister, Louise Travis of Baytown, Texas; two sons, Benjamin F. Devereux III and William J. Devereux; and a grandson, David C. Devereux of Knoxville, TN. He is survived by: his wife of almost 70 years, Hilda Devereux; 3 grandsons, Brian Devereux of Knoxville, TN, Wendell Devereux of Prattville, AL and Wayne Devereux of Rye, TX; and great-grandchildren, Taylor Devereux of Knoxville, TN, Tyler, Molly, and Will Devereux of Prattville, AL. Graveside services will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at McDade Cemetery, McDade, Texas.