William Francis Deverell

Air Force

Born in Rochester, New York, the son of William and Helen, younger brother of Margaret and Jean. 

He was educated in Catholic schools and at the University of Rochester.  He graduated from medical school at the University of Buffalo, an institution that he and his wife supported over many years.

He had a distinguished career as a flight surgeon and physician in the United States Air Force, which he joined in order to pay for medical school, his parents having died when he was a teenager.  He completed orthopedic internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver and residency at Duke University, where part of his training included service at the Shriners’ Hospital for Crippled Children.  During twenty years of active duty with the Air Force, he served in North and South Carolina and Michigan before being transferred to Japan during the Vietnam War.  He and his family traveled widely in Japan, and he and his wife once climbed through the night to reach the summit of Mt. Fuji at dawn.  In 1968, he and his family returned to the United States and assignment at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.  They relocated in 1971 to the Air Force Academy, where Dr. Deverell served as chief of orthopedics and team physician for numerous Academy sports teams, as well as work at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.  Throughout his career, he performed restorative surgeries on children with orthopedic problems.

He retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 1976 and practiced orthopedic surgery in Colorado Springs for another twenty years.  Upon retirement, he volunteered time with an indigent care clinic in Colorado Springs, directing patients to this or that colleague for care and surgery.  “Don’t charge them,” he would tell his colleagues, “just do it.”

He was immensely proud of his Irish heritage.  His great grandfather Joseph Deverell was a famine-era Irish immigrant to North America who went on to distinguished service in the Union Army during the Civil War.  Dr. Deverell’s father, William Hobart Deverell, served in the United States Navy in World War I.

Over the years, Dr. Deverell visited Ireland several times, traveling with family, Irish cousins and other relatives.  He found the Deverell family’s ancestral farm in Mountmellick, County Laois.  His Irishness endured through his love of craft beer and storytelling.  As the end approached, the music of the Irish singer Enya comforted him.  As his hearing faded, her singing got louder and louder in the house, which comforted everyone else, too.  He was a student of Irish and American history and kept a superb library.  He loved to read, and he could perform Latin declensions at whim seventy years removed from high school. 

Along with his wife, he was a devoted runner, competing in six marathons around the nation (Marine Corps, New York – twice -- Chicago, Big Sur, St. George), as well as innumerable runs in Colorado, including regular participation in the Bolder Boulder.

As a cyclist, he rode all over the U.S. and the world (Australia, Ireland, France, Newfoundland, Austria, Germany, and the Caribbean) and was an officer in multiple cycling clubs and organizations.  His planning skills helped plot numerous rides for his friends and fellow cyclists.  He and his wife rode Ride the Rockies eleven times, traveling up and down (and on top of) their beloved Colorado.  He was a graceful skier and a fine Telemarker.  He and his wife cross-country skied throughout Colorado and Norway.  He and his family rafted the Colorado River thought the Grand Canyon, which he also hiked in and out of twice.  He knew the outdoors of the American West in winter, spring, summer, and fall. 

He married Marne Anderson in 1956, and together they traveled the world in work and play through a marriage spanning nearly sixty-five years.  They raised two children, William Jr. (Jenny) and Debra Jean, both of whom made their careers in education.  He was the proud grandfather of Helen (19) and John (15) of Southern California, and he was an excellent uncle to many nieces and nephews.  Along with his wife, he was a fifty-year member and generous supporter of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Colorado Springs.

“I don’t fear death,” he said to his family as the end approached.  He was comfortable in his medical knowledge of the cycle of life.  He leaned on his faith.  He was in the company of his family, at home, and in no pain.   

He liked a saying that summed up his view of life and of death.  He revised it slightly.  “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally wiped out; beer in one hand, strawberries in the other, exclaiming to one’s self, to loved ones and to all these many friends, ‘Woo Hoo!  What a ride.’”  His family discovered his “bucket list” file.  It was empty. Dr. Deverell died at home surrounded by his family. 

We love you Bill, Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Bill, and we will miss you. 

Memorial contributions in Dr. Deverell’s name may be made to the Medical School Class of 1958 Scholarship Fund Endowment in care of University at Buffalo Foundation, P.O. Box 730, Buffalo, NY 14226-0730 or to charity of choice. 

The family thanks Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care for their compassion and professionalism.  Given the pandemic, services and a celebration of life will take place at a later date at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Colorado Springs.