MCQUEEN, DEVERE L.
DeVere “Mac” Leroy McQueen, age 94, of Cassville, Missouri, passed away on July 4, 2013 at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mount Vernon.
Mr. McQueen, son of Harrison and Sarah (Anderson) McQueen, was born on January 28, 1919 in Wheaton, Missouri.
He grew up on the family farm and worked on that farm until the age of fifteen when he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help his family financially. In 1940 at the age of twenty-one, Mr. McQueen enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps serving six years and five months, which included World War II.
After returning home to his family in 1946 he met the love of his life, Bonnie “Lavelle” Lee, and they were united in marriage in 1947 at the First Baptist Church in Exeter.
After working at little over a year at the local gasoline company in Wheaton, Mr. McQueen enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1948. Following this enlistment he was assigned to Tyndell Field in Panama City, Florida, and during that tenure he did tours in Guam, Turkey, and Thailand. He also fought in the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War. In 1967, he was reassigned to Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, and during his last two years there, he was promoted to chief master sergeant of the base.
In April of 1972, he retired from that post and the family moved back to Barry County where they built a house south of Exeter. They lived there until 1985 when they moved to a home in Cassville.
Mr. McQueen was very proud of his country and his 30 years fighting for our rights and freedom. He loved his wife with all his heart and always spoke of her proudly. Mr. McQueen was also a loving father and a loyal friend. He was loved by many and will be missed greatly.
Survivors include one son, Barry McQueen and his wife Susan, of Eugene, Oregon; two daughters, Sally Cunningham and her husband Hunt, of Orange Park, Florida, and Peggy Hook er, of Sneads, Florida; seven grandchildren, Rick Cunningham, Lee Cunningham, Brent Cunningham, Reid McQueen, Jason Burnette, Marti Blomberg, and Lesli Garges; seventeen great-grandchildren; two brothers, James McQueen, of Republic, and Leslie McQueen, of Cassville; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife on February 12, 1999; one brother, Pete McQueen; and three sisters, Orvilla Gaige, Wilma Garrison, and Vivian Box.
Funeral services will be held on at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2013, at the White Funeral Home & Crematory, in Cassville, with Reverend James Weaver officiating. Full military honors will be provided by the Air Force funeral team of Whiteman’s Air Force Base.
Memorial contributions may be made to the ALS Foundation and entrusted to the White Funeral Home & Crematory, P.O. Box 890, Cassville, MO 65625.