Leonard Mcvey

LEONARD EDWARD MCVEY WAS BORN IN LEWIS, KANSAS ON APRIL 16, 1926, AND WENT TO BE WITH THE LORD ON SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2024.

HE WAS PROCEEDED IN DEATH BY HIS WIFE, NETA OF 58 YEARS; HIS PARENTS, CARL & EDITH MCVEY; SONS, EDWARD AND IVAN; AS WELL AS TWO BROTHERS, RAYMOND AND GENE.

HE IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE, ORETHA; ONE SON, RANDY MCVEY AND HIS WIFE ANN; ONE STEPSON, KEVIN AND HIS WIFE TERI MCNALLY; TWO STEPDAUGHTERS, JACKIE LEMON AND JANICE ROURKE; THREE SIBLINGS, VIOLET BEATTY, EARL MCVEY, DIXIE BAILEY AND SEVERAL NIECES AND NEPHEWS, 7 GRANDCHILDREN; 9 GREAT GRANDCHILDREN; AND 12 GREAT-GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. LEONARD WAS ALSO VERY CLOSE TO JOE ROGERS, AND DAVID & CAROL WARD.

HE ATTENDED SCHOOL IN COLDWATER, KANSAS WHERE HE ENJOYED PLAYING FOOTBALL. HE MARRIED NETA DUNN ON OCTOBER 31, 1943. THEY LATER HAD THREE SONS, EDWARD, IVAN AND RANDY.

AT THE AGE OF 18 DURING WW II HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY. HE EAGERLY WANTED TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY AND WANTED TO ENLIST AT THE AGE OF 15, BUT COULD NOT. HE WAS IN THE MILITARY FROM 1944 UNTIL 1946. HE SERVED IN THE ARMY SIGNAL CORP AND SPENT HIS ENTIRE OVERSEAS DUTY IN ITALY. HE SERVED UNDER THE COMMAND OF GENERAL MARK CLARK. AT THE TIME OF HIS DISCHARGE, HE WAS A SERGEANT. HE ENJOYED BEING ABLE TO TAKE THE HONOR FLIGHT TO SEE THE WWII MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON D.C. WITH HIS SON RANDY.

LEONARD THROUGHLY ENJOYED FARMING AND RANCHING. DURING THIS TIME, HE ALSO WORKED AT A SHEET ROCK FACTORY IN MEDICINE LODGE, KANSAS FOR 16 YEARS. HE AND HIS WIFE, NETA, RAISED PRIZE WINNING GOATS BOTH ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION AND IN CHRISTIAN COUNTY WHERE HE ALSO RAISED CATTLE AND DOGS.

LEONARD WAS SAVED AT THE AGE OF 25 AND SERVED HIS CHURCH IN MEDICINE LODGE, KANSAS FAITHFULLY. YEARS LATER WHEN HE WAS IN HIS LATE 30’S, GOD CALLED HIM TO THE MISSION FIELD. THIS NECESSITATED HIS FAMILY MOVING TO SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI WHERE THEY ATTENDED CHERRY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. LEONARD, NETA AND IVAN ALL ATTENDED BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE WHILE RANDY WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL. AFTER GRADUATING FROM BBC, LEONARD AND NETA LIVED ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION WHERE HE LATER ESTABLISHED A CHURCH AT TSAILE, ARIZONA. MANY NAVAJO INDIANS, ON THE RESERVATION THAT HE SERVED, CAME TO ACCEPT CHRIST AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR THROUGH THEIR EFFORTS.

LEONARD AND HIS FAMILY RETURNED TO THIS AREA AFTER GOD TOLD HIM IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE THE RESERVATION AND THAT HIS MISSION THERE WAS OVER. THEY ATTENDED SEVERAL CHURCHES IN CHADWICK, AND THE OZARK AREA, UNTIL HE FOUND ONE THAT HE THOUGHT MORE FAITHFULLY PREACHED THE BIBLE. THEY ATTENDED AND WORKED IN MANY AREAS WITHIN THE OZARK FULL GOSPEL CHURCH.

HE MARRIED ORETHA ON DECEMBER 11, 2004, AND MOVED TO SPRINGFIELD. HE LATER JOINED CHERRY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH WHERE HE WAS A MEMBER UNTIL HIS DEATH. ORETHA STATED THAT THESE 19 YEARS OF MARRIAGE TO LEONARD WAS THE HAPPIEST YEARS OF HER LIFE. LEONARD HAD TOLD ORETHA THAT HE WAS SO VERY GREATFUL THAT GOD GAVE HIM TWO WONDERFUL, GOD-FILLED WOMEN, BOTH NETA & ORETHA.

LEONARD WAS AN EXTREMELY HARD WORKER AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN ALL PHASES OF HIS LIFE. HE DID NOT LET OLD AGE SLOW HIM DOWN AND WAS ACTIVE AND ALERT UNTIL GOD CALLED HIM HOME. LEONARD WAS ONE WHO PREACHED THE WORD OF GOD WITH HIS VOICE, NOT ONLY AS A FATHER, BUT AS A FATHER FIGURE TO SO MANY.

VISITATION WILL BE HELD FROM 10:30 TO 11:00AM ON MONDAY, JULY 29TH, 2024, AT CHERRY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH, 1201 S. OAK GROVE AVENUE IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI WHERE FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BEGIN AT 11:00AM WITH PASTOR DENNIS JENNINGS OFFICIATING. BURIAL WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS WILL FOLLOW AT 1:00PM IN THE MISSOURI VETERANS CEMETERY, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

ARRANGEMENTS ARE UNDER THE CARE AND DIRECTION OF HERMAN H. LOHMEYER FUNERAL HOME IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

PERMANENT ONLINE CONDOLENCES, STORIES, AND PHOTOS MAY BE SHARED AT WWW.HHLOHMEYER.COM