Bannister Luther Deberry

Memorial services celebrating the life of Bannister Luther DeBerry will be at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, November 13, 2011 at First Christian Church, Lufkin, Texas, following a family burial in the Garden of Memories Memorial Park, with Reverend Stephen Lantis officiating.

Luther was born May 7, 1914 in Bogata, Texas, and passed away on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at his home at PineCrest Retirement Community.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Thomas Moore of Lufkin; grandson and wife, Harmon and Heather Moore of Austin; great-grandson, Andrew Minyard of Lufkin; nephew, Judge Mike DeBerry and wife Linda of Idabel, Oklahoma; niece, Diane Elliott of Indianapolis, Indiana; sister-in-law, Frances DeBerry of Idabel, Oklahoma; and a host of other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Luther and Kate Hudson DeBerry; his wife of 63 years, Pauline Allen DeBerry; and his brothers, Marvin and Dan.

Mr. DeBerry received a BS in Civil Engineering in 1937 from the University of Texas at Austin. He began his career with the Texas Highway Department in the Paris District, and on Christmas Day of 1937, he married Pauline Allen.

He took a leave of absence in 1942 to work for the U. S. Corps of Engineers and then served two years as a deck officer in the United States Navy. He returned to the Highway Department in 1946 as resident engineer in Rains County and transferred to Greenville in 1950 as Senior Resident Engineer of Hunt County. He became Assistant District Engineer in San Antonio in 1953. He came to Lufkin as District Engineer in 1958, moved to Dallas as District Engineer in 1960, then to Austin as Assistant State Highway Engineer in 1968 and became State Highway Engineer in 1973 - retiring from that position in 1980.

While State Highway Engineer, he received the American Association of State Highway Official's highest honor - The Thomas H. McDonald Memorial Award. He served one term as president of the Western Association of State Highway Officials, receiving the George Bartlett Award for outstanding contributions to highway progress.

He was inducted into the Hall of Honor at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A & M University in 2003. In November of 2003, Luther was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni of the University of Texas Civil Engineering Department.

After retirement from TxDOT, he worked part time for HNTB Engineering Consultation Firm for 14 years.

In 2004, he was inducted into the Red River County Hall of Fame in Clarksville, Texas and was honored with a resolution entered into the record of the House of Representatives of the State of Texas on the occasion of his 90th birthday. At that time he was still maintaining his home, yard, vegetable and rose gardens and was an active member of First Christian Church of Lufkin.

Near the end of 2006, he moved to PineCrest Retirement Community where he has been blessed with many friends and wonderful caregivers. His final days were made more comfortable by the compassionate care of Hospice in the Pines.

Honorary pallbearers will be Employees of the Texas Department of Transportation, Lufkin District and his special friends, TxDOT Retirees.

Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to First Christian Church, 1300 S. First Street, Lufkin, Texas 75901; or to a charity of your choice.

Condolences may be offered at www.gipsonfuneralhome.com

Services have been placed in the trust of Gipson Funeral Home