Derek Vincent

Dorey

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IN LOVING MEMORY

Derek Vincent Dorey

Jun 05 1930 - Apr 02 2021

Derek “Deke” Vincent Dorey passed on April 2, 2021, at the age of 90. He was preceded in death by parents Horace and Daisy Dorey and his wife of 63 years, Miriam “Mickey” Dorey.

Deke grew up on the East Coast and graduated from Choate Preparatory School and his beloved Dartmouth College. He ran cross-country, was a DJ for the school radio show, sang in the glee club, and pledged Delta Upsilon. It was there that he kindled his life-long affinity for martinis.

He enlisted in 1952 and went to the Army’s Intelligence school. He and Mickey were stationed in post-war Japan on a mission that mostly involved playing volleyball, photographing tourist attractions, and wondering what to do with an Ivy League education.

In 1955, he was hired by General Electric and entered their management program. With each new assignment, Mickey popped out a new kid. In 1965, they settled in Tyler, Texas with four children, where Deke spent 15 years as the Personnel Manager at the GE air conditioning plant. He also received an executive MBA from SMU in 1975.

He was heavily involved in the Tyler community. Deke’s public works included boards and committees for the Texas Mental Health Association, Mother Frances Hospital, Boy Scouts of America, Tyler Jr. College, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and the YMCA. When he left in 1980, his going-away party filled Harvey Hall. 

His children learned that his name alone was enough to land a job, sometimes get out of trouble, but never get away with anything because he always knew someone that could tell him what really happened.

GE sent him to Sacramento as a lobbyist for six years before he retired at only 55 years old. After working for 30 years, he spent the next 35 living on a pension. He beat cancer in 1990 and then outran it for his remaining 30 years. Deke finished out his life ruining actuarial tables and life-expectancy estimates.  He earned more in retirement than he did while employed. So yeah, that’s what you do with an Ivy League education.

He loved his family dearly and was a great father, mentor, supporter and owner of the world’s loudest sneeze. His hobbies included golf, sailing, metal detecting, camping, and hiking. While eventually replaced by the internet as the best source for trivia answers, he still retained mastery in making anything “kinda sound true.”

He is survived by children and their spouses of Derek and Barbara Dorey of Kingwood, Doug Dorey and Bob Goldberg of Dallas, David and Karin Dorey of McKinney, and Debbie and Bret Sanders of McKinney. He leaves grandchildren Hans Dorey, Jeremy Dorey, Brian Dorey, Peyton Sanders and Chase Sanders; great-grandchildren of Devin Dorey, Olivia Dorey, and Jacob Dorey.

Like a true Boy Scout, he left the world a better place than he found it. He was a bright, witty, smart, caring, kind, generous man who will be greatly missed.

On his final day, he recounted a camping trip where he and his son David sat atop a mountain overlooking the New Mexico desert. A brilliant, blue afternoon with a hot sun that witnessed a small wisp of white suddenly become a single cloud. It quickly grew large and became dark with flashes of lightning while hanging alone in the sky. It poured out a heavy rain, nourishing a portion of the desert below, and then disappeared in just minutes. It was remarkable, beautiful, and then gone.

And so was he. Among his final words, he summed up both that moment and his entire life.

“Spectacular.”

 

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