Leroy Furey - Brookings

Nov. 12, 1919 – March 10, 2017

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Leroy Furey, 97, died Friday March, 10, 2017, at the United Living Community in Brookings. 

Graveside services will be held at the Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan, Kan. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to the family and will be used to support two of Leroy’s passions: church bus ministries for youth and children’s events and the Salvation Army.

Leroy Furey, the only child of Lisle J. and Retta A Gann Furey, was born Nov., 12, 1919, in Jewell County Kan.  

Leroy grew up on a farm owned by his grandfather southwest of Jewell, Kansas. He graduated from the Jewell Rural High School with the class of 1938.  After graduation Leroy held a number of jobs in chicken hatcheries and retail stores in the Mankato, Kan., area.

In 1943, Leroy met and married the love of his life, Geneva Musgrove a local telephone operator. 

They had one daughter, Sondra, before they moved to Manhattan, Kan. He filled several positions in meat packing plants and grocery stores before becoming an agent for Penn Mutual Life Insurance from 1956 through 1971. 

Leroy then made a career change and became a heavy equipment operator for Bayer Construction Company in Manhattan where he stayed until retiring in 1986 and returned again in 1989 to serve as a front-end loader driver and gravel quarry manager until he retired in 2004 at the age of 85. Leroy and Geneva moved to Brookings in 2009 to be closer to Sondra and her family.  They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2013.

Leroy was very active in his church serving as deacon, treasurer, Sunday school teacher, worship leader, bus driver and grounds-keeper.  He enjoyed attending Southern Gospel Quartet concerts, window shopping for new cars and watching Kansas State University football and basketball games.

Leroy was affectionately known as “Pops” to his family and friends.  He never knew a stranger, had a seemingly endless supply of quips and never missed an opportunity to point people towards the light of God's love, forgiveness and hope.

Pops traveled millions of miles driving everything from front-end loaders, bulldozers, dump trucks, semis and tractors during his "day job" to Sunday school buses, church vans, U-Haul trucks and RVs during his pursuit of his true passion, ministry. He hauled everything from blue-collar loads like chickens, gravel, snow and even trash to more precious cargo like sound/lighting gear, musical instruments, video equipment and many, many kids, teens and adults. Pops moved countless souls both in body and spirit.

While Pops will be missed terribly, we rejoice that he is now reunited with so many friends and family where the streets have no name. Pops faced life and even death with a fearless faith, a grateful heart and a joyful anticipation of finally getting to ride that "Good Old Gospel Ship.” Even during his passing Pops taught us new lessons in humor, honesty, grace, dignity and faith. His legacy will live on in the lives of all he touched. 

Leroy is survived by his daughter Sondra Lee Furey (Lowell) Slyter of Aurora and two grandsons.