Jimmy DeFoor, 75, had heart for military veterans because he was one
A veteran himself, Jimmy DeFoor was inspired to serve other veterans.
After 15 years heading the Veterans' Service Office for Taylor County, he was the on-site director at Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene, which opened June 1, 2009.
DeFoor died Friday. He was 75.
A funeral service is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Longtime friend and Vietnam War veteran Bill Libby will officiate.
A service with police and military honors will follow at 11 a.m. at the veterans cemetery pavilion.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Barbara.
Military and police service
He was a post-World War II baby, born Dec. 5 ,1946, in Jacksonville, in East Texas. As a teenager, his family moved to Abilene, where he graduated from Cooper High School.
He joined the Navy and served three tours in Vietnam. His brother, Victor, was killed in 1970 during a mortar attack at Fire Base Ripcord, according to Reporter-News files.
DeFoor served in both the Naval and Army reserves. In the Army Reserve, he was in the 490th Civil Affairs Division and 244th Psychological Operations Company (Airborne) based in Abilene.
In 1990, he volunteered for service to train a national police force in Panama. He was called to active duty in Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
When DeFoor was 32, he entered the Abilene Police Department's academy and began a career with the local department. He served on patrol and was a motorcycle officer, personally owning a Harley-Davidson.
He was a member of SWAT and the bomb squad. When Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter came to Abilene, he was part of the local security detail.
His other contributions were promoting the start of 911 service and the benefits of community policing. He once was honored as police officer of the year by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.
He retired as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division.
Working for veterans
DeFoor served for 21 years with the APD before taking the veterans job with the county.
He was encouraged in his second career by current Taylor County Commissioner Chuck Statler.
Their friendship began because both served in the Army, Statler said.
"We could talk military police. We could talk cops. We could talk soldiers," said Statler, who was in the military police.
Statler said DeFoor was measured in his demeanor.
"I never saw him lose his composure. He was respectful of others," the commissioner said.
But his heart was for the veterans of the war in which he fought.
When Statler learned of the opening in the Veterans' Service Office, he immediately thought of DeFoor.
"I walked across the street and told him, 'Take off your uniform,'" Statler said. DeFoor didn't know what to make of that request.
Put on a coat and tie and go interview for the veterans' job, Statler continued.
"Chuck, that's my dream job," DeFoor told Statler. "Jimmy definitely wanted to take care of veterans."
DeFoor was hired and directed the county's veterans' office for 15 years, an advocate particularly for Vietnam War veterans, Statler said.
He recalled DeFoor's efforts to obtain 100% disability for a county employee who had been exposed to Agent Orange during the war. DeFoor went to Waco to advocate for the man, who was granted full disability.
That allowed him to retire from the county.
Cemetery project
Then came a third job, as on-site representative of the Texas Veteran's Land Board at the city's new cemetery north of Interstate 20. It soon will include the Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial Monument.
The project is under construction.
The DeFoor family requests that gifts to honor Jimmy DeFoor go to Community Foundation of Abilene earmarked for the memorial project at the cemetery. The project cost is $70,000.
More: Memorial Day ceremony returns to Abilene veterans cemetery while expansion underway
Annual dinners for veterans were important to DeFoor, Statler said. He knew who to tap for funding. And if funds came up short, Statler believed the balance came from his friend.
'"He'd reach into his own pockets," Statler said. "That's how he was wired."
Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Jimmy DeFoor, 75, had heart for military veterans because he was one
