John Henry Deveney Jr.

July 14, 1935 - October 17, 2019

Deveney, Jr., John Henry, 84, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, passed away on Thursday, October 17, 2019. Beloved husband of the late Teresa Deveney (nee Terascavage). Loving father of Stephane Hernandez & her husband Pete, Dean Despotovich & his wife Judy, and the late Drew Deveney. Cherished grandfather of Rebecca Brugaletta, Melissa, Amanda, Derek, Corrine, and Jennifer Despotovich. Dear brother of the late Gerald Deveney. John served in both the United Army National Guard of New Jersey and the United States Marine Corp retiring from the Marine Corp in October 1961. He was a letter carrier for the United States Postal System for 30 years working mostly in Lyndhurst before retiring in 1992. John was chairman of the Lyndhurst Historic Preservation Commission since its inception in 1998. In January 2002 he presided over the 85th anniversary ceremony of the Canadian Car & Foundry Explosion of 1917. Additionally, he also presided over the erection of the flag pole that have the names of Lyndhurst residents that lost their lives on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center. He joined the Lyndhurst Historical Society and served as co-chairman, vice-president, and president of the Tessie McNamara Video and Park projects. He was also involved in the preservation of the Little Red School House on Riverside Ave. in Lyndhurst. In 1985 he joined the Barringer-Walker-Lopinto-American Legion Post 139 of Lyndhurst where he was a past commander in 2011 and 2012. A member of the Rehabilitation Committee since 1990, John became chair of the committee in 1992. John would make weekly visits to several facilities to check on the veterans and supply them with care and necessities. In 2001, John initiated the POW/MIA 24 hour vigil with the American Legion and in 2002 John was the first ever Legionnaire of the Year award winner for Post 139 and the Bergen County American Legion. Friends will be received Wednesday 2-4pm and 6-9pm at the Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home, 425 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst NJ. Funeral Thursday 10-11am at the funeral home. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Semper Fi Fund, 825 College Blvd, Suite 102, PMB 609, Oceanside CA 92057 https://semperfifund.org/donate/.