Lennis deVere

LENNIS MARLENE (WILLIAMS) deVERE was born on December 27, 1958, at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. She is the eldest of four children to the late David Maurice Williams, Sr. and surviving Gladys Augusta (Polly) Williams.

Lennis attended West Side High School in Newark, NJ where she was an honor roll student and very active member of the school community and was inducted into the “Who’s Who Among American High School Students''. She attended Kean College in Union, NJ where she received her B.A. in Psychology.  It was at Kean College where she met Leonard (Lenny) deVere and 6 years later they were married on July 24, 1982, at Messiah Baptist Church. On July 1, 1986, they celebrated their first born, Michael Louis deVere and on February 8, 1989, celebrated their second, Tara Nicole deVere. Mike and Tara are Lennis’ pride and joy.

Lennis always maintained her faith in God and was a faithful congregant, head of the drama ministry and choir member of Union Baptist Church, White Plains, NY.  She also enjoyed poetry and attending spoken word events.  Her gift for using the spoken word gained notoriety for one of her renowned poems “Oh Africa '' which was published and won 1st Place at the Greenburgh Literary Contest.  Lennis graduated from Westchester Community College School of Nursing and worked as a nurse for more than 18 years.  Later in life, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Once given a clean bill of health she continued taking classes to receive her Certification in Medical Office Administration. After retiring from nursing, Lennis applied her skills and knowledge at Hermann Law Group as an administrative assistant. Lennis then took interest in real estate and enrolled in classes to receive her New York Real Estate License with Keller Williams Real Estate.

In July 2020, Lennis relocated to Fairburn, Georgia and after the move to Georgia, she began to notice strange symptoms. After months of multiple tests and declining mobility, she was diagnosed with A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's Disease). While going through hospice care she stood firm on the Word of God with a smile and laughter every day. She knew that in spite of this illness that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly. In 2022, her book Gracefully Broken was published about her journey with A.L.S.

Lennis is survived by her husband Leonard (Lenny) deVere (White Plains, NY); son Michael deVere (fiancé Tia); one grand-daughter Sage; one grandson Saint (Maryland); daughter, Tara deVere-Armstrong, son-in-law Michael Armstrong (California); mother Gladys Williams (Virginia); three sisters Joretta Wilson (New Jersey), Monica Williams-Hazel (North Carolina); Gladys Brown (Maryland) two brothers David Williams, Jr. (North Carolina) and Pastor Michael Williams (New Jersey); one brother-in-law Edward Hazel, Jr. (Monica); three sisters-in-law, Lisa Williams (Michael) and Renee & Denise deVere (Lenny); one father-in-law Sylvester deVere; one aunt Bert Joanne Scales (Virginia); one Uncle Belton Hogue (California); host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces/nephews, great-great nieces/nephews, cousins; Godson Joshua; best friend and colleague Pastor Lisa Nelson; caretakers Queyanni “KiKi” Coleman, Sharee Hayes and Gail Fields and many beloved friends.