Funeral services for Jerome Dever will be at 2:00 PM, Sat., May 20, 2017 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel with Pat Boone officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Steve Goff, Bill Smith, Garland Creighton, Manuel Jasso, Kerry Morrison and Colby Stephens serving as pallbearers. David Stone, along with all of his many friends will be honorary pallbearers. The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Friday evening from 6 to 8 PM.
Ray Jerome Dever, known to virtually everyone as Jerome, was born February 1, 1941 in Portales to the home of Una (McGinty) and Marvin Dever and died May 14, 2017 in Lubbock, TX. Jerome grew up in Elida and later Portales where he graduated from high school. Following graduation, he worked at Kenneth Cook Oil Company delivering gas. He made his home in Clovis until 1967, when he moved to Fort Sumner, where he managed a ranch for Mr. Cook for 2 years. He moved back to Clovis, where he continued to work for Mr. Cook, doing a variety of jobs until 1973. From 1975 until 1980, he managed another of Mr. Cook’s ranches in Moriarty. He returned to Portales and worked as a truck driver, welder and later at Borden Peanut Company. In 2006, he moved to Elida to manage a ranch for David Stone.
On February 2, 1962, he was married to Mary Ann Thompson. His wife preceded him in death on August 19, 1994. On June 20, 1997, in Roswell, he was married to Betty McMullen. Jerome enjoyed his work, tending cattle and running the ranches. As a hobby, he enjoyed putting his welding skills to use doing metal art.
He is survived by his wife, Betty of their home; two daughters and a son-in-law, Karen and Roger Thetford of Lubbock, TX and Shirley Archuleta of Portales; two step-sons, Danny Cunningham of Fort Worth, TX and Mike and Brenda Mason of Springtown, TX; two grandchildren, Stefanie Sharrock and Todd Sharrock; four step-grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; a brother, Dub Dever of Portales; and four sisters, Billie Wells or Portales, Elizabeth Morrison of LaPorte, TX, Mattielene Hamilton of Shoreacres, TX and Kathy Caywood of Captian, NM. In addition to his first wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter, Brianna Thetford, three brothers, Leroy, Alvin and Carl Dever, and a sister, Marlene Shrock.
