Lawrence (“Larry”) John Devenny passed away on Friday Nov. 13, 2020, due to complications from his cancer treatment. He was 60.
In true Larry fashion, he wanted to protect his family from any pain and went out on his own after spending the entire day prior with his daughter Christine listening to his favorite tunes by The Eagles, The Who, The Beatles, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley, hearing how the stock market was doing, and listening to fly fishing stories.
Larry was born on Sept. 28, 1960 in Philadelphia, the third of five children to parents Robert and Patricia Devenny. Growing up in Sparta, N.J., the family spent summers in Avalon, N.J., where he happily spent his days surfing and biking with his siblings, cousins, and friends. After graduating from Sparta High School in 1978 and Seton Hall University (“The Hall!”) in 1982, he met his wife Debora “Debbie” (Hadden) Devenny at his 5-Year Sparta High School Reunion. They were married in 1986 and had one child Christine in 1990. Living in Andover, N.J. and then in Forest Lakes in Byram, N.J., Larry, Debbie, and Christine were a tight-knit crew.
After trying a few stints in sales and starting a beer distribution company, Larry tried his hand at hand engraving, a unique profession his wife Debbie exposed him to being in the jewelry business. He taught himself at home, and it turned out, he was one of the best in the world. Starting as a pieceworker at Fortunoff, he later joined Tiffany and Co. where he spent 23 years and worked his way up to Master Engraver for much of his time there. He engraved the Superbowl Trophy multiple times, engraved on site for the FedEx Cup, engraved a gift from President George W. Bush to the Pope, and collaborated with artist Raúl de Nieves to engrave one of his pieces on a silver box featured at the Whitney Museum.
His work also brought him on 15 separate month-long trips all over China mostly visiting Tiffany’s stores for customer events. He made lifelong friendships in China, a special place he never would have had the opportunity to spend so much time exploring without Tiffany. Larry won the Charles Lewis Tiffany Award for Excellence, awarded to only around 35 employees out of Tiffany’s thousands of employees per year for their exemplary work, not once but twice -- first in 2005, and then again in 2013.As impressive as all these accolades were, his most impactful role at Tiffany -- and the one he cared most about -- was as mentor and friend. He loved his colleagues in the shop dearly, helping them with whatever they needed inside or outside of work, especially helping them get started investing. A dedicated value investor, Larry experienced much success in the stock market after starting from very little and helped others do the same.
An avid music fan, Larry was the ultimate 70’s music trivia teammate -- if you had him on your team, you were guaranteed a win. His love of history and geography was also unparalleled. A sports lover, he also enjoyed following his fantasy sports teams. While he was talented golfer (famously hitting a hole-in-one on the 4 hole and even more impressive, a 2 on the 1 hole at the Lake Mohawk Golf Club), he ultimately preferred hiking and fishing in the great outdoors. The kindest soul, he was always a catch-and-release fisherman, contemplating how each fish felt, and giving them well wishes before sending them on their way. He and Debbie’s Yorkies Minnie and Snickers also always put a smile on his face. Some of his favorite memories were exploring the world with his wife Debbie, including their favorite trip up the Amazon River in Peru. He also treasured the time he spent fly fishing with his friends in Roscoe, NY and exploring ancient Chinese cities with his dear friends he met through Tiffany.
Larry’s ultimate shining role was as a father, supporting all of Christine’s endeavors over the years, providing guidance, laughs, and compassion when needed. Playing Brain Quest with her every night as a kid, delivering her laundry and grabbing a slice of pizza with her every week when she attended Blair Academy, giving her seed funding to help start a business, helping her lighten up with a quote from Tommy Boy when she was stressed, whatever support Christine needed, Larry was always there. They were as close as a dad and daughter could be, culminating at what many in his family agree was his finest moment: when Larry delivered an epic toast at Christine’s wedding in Los Angeles.
But maybe the most important legacy Larry left was the care and support he provided to everyone he met, acting as a father figure to others as well. From the many messages Larry received for his 60 birthday, the resounding theme was “he believed in me, more than anyone else.” Described by everyone who’s ever known him as “the nicest guy” and “the absolute best,” Larry will forever live on through the kindness and compassion that he inspired in others.
Larry is survived by his wife, Debora “Debbie” Devenny; daughter, Christine “Chrissy” Thompson and her husband, Hunter Thompson; parents, Robert “Bob” and Patricia “Pat” Devenny; brothers, Robin Devenny and John Devenny and his wife, Simone Devenny; sisters, Denise “Denny” Kevil and her husband, Jim Kevil, and Patricia “Trish” Bennett and her husband, Patrick “Pat” Bennett; and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
The family is holding a private memorial along the Sparta Glen Brook, fitting with Larry’s love of water and the outdoors.
Visit dignitymemorial.com to leave condolences and show your interest in attending an in-person Celebration of Life to be held in the future.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to either Trout Unlimited or Happiness Is Camping, a local camp for kids with cancer.