Doris Devereux

Doris Catherine Devereux, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and active member of the Tucson community, died in the early morning hours on Saturday, November 12, 2011, at her home in Tucson. She was 91. The cause was congestive heart failure, according to her family. Doris was a friend to many in Tucson, known for her quick wit, large family, active involvement in her church, business savviness, and many generous years of service with organizations that aid the poor, sick, and elderly. Doris Reeder was born on November 7, 1920 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was the only child of Mary Corbett, a Little Rock native, and Charley Reeder. Doris’ childhood was one of adventure and travels. She and her mother lived in Texas briefly, but the majority of her youth was spent in the city of Chicago, where her mother worked for the cosmetics company Clairol. At age 16, Doris and her mother moved to Tucson, where she attended Tucson High School, and afterward worked as a receptionist at the Thomas Davis Clinic, a medical center. At about that time, Doris met Paul Devereux, a student at the University of Arizona and also a recent transplant from Chicago. The two had not been acquainted in Chicago, but in Tucson they fell in love, and married in August of 1941. Together, Doris and Paul — who was also an only child — had eight children: Dianne, Paul, Michael, Mary Joan, Deborah, Christopher, Melinda and Mark. The two also opened a deli together briefly, before founding Devereux Distributing, a business that they operated together for roughly 40 years. Devereux Distributing provided food, paper goods, and supplies to local restaurants, stores, and businesses. Doris’s intelligence and strength of character helped Devereux Distributing to succeed — a customer once summed her up thusly: “almond eyes, great gams, and a sharp tongue.” Once, when Paul suffered from a hand injury, Doris bravely took over truck delivery duties for half a year. In addition to running a business and raising eight children, Doris was active in her community. She volunteered for many years with the Parent-Teacher association at Saints Peter & Paul Elementary School and Salpointe High School, where her kids went to school. She was also an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels, the St. Mary’s Hospital auxiliary, and the University of Arizona hospital. Doris was also Catholic, and served with the Eucharistic ministry and in the library at her parish, Saints Peter & Paul on East Lee Street. Doris and Paul, who passed away in 2005, were also avid fans of the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team, and traveled often with the University of Arizona alumni association, to far-flung locations like Spain and Hawaii. At their home on North Sawtelle Avenue, where they lived from 1957 until 2003, they hosted bridge tournaments, poker parties, and many gatherings of friends and family, including two wedding receptions, for their daughters Dianne and Deborah. Doris is survived by five of her children, 17 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and many friends who will miss her dearly. For those wishing to make a gift honoring the memory of Doris Devereux, the family suggests a contribution in her name to the TMC (Tucson Medical Center) Foundation Hospice Fund.