James Harry Devenny

James Harry Devenny of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, passed from this life to the next on November 21, 2025, at the age of ninety-five.

He is now reunited with Corlys Palmer Devenny, his beloved wife of seventy-two years who predeceased him in 2022. He is survived by their six children: Renee D. May, Teresa D. Holder, Michele D. Lewis, Denise D. Martin, Jan Devenny, and James (Jay) Devenny, sons-in-law Kerry T. May, Stephen C. Lewis, and Andrew D. Martin, daughter-in-law Linda Balzac Devenny, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Born in Lawndale, North Carolina in 1930, Harry and his family moved to Granite Falls and then to Charleston, South Carolina in 1940. After graduating from Chicora High School, Harry entered Mars Hill College in 1947. Anxious to get on with life, he left school to join the Army in August of 1948 and was selected for Officer Candidate School in 1950. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1951 and then First Lieutenant in 1953 in the Army Reserves.

During his period of active duty, he served two years as an instructor at Fort Eustis, Virginia and then at Fort Knox, Kentucky as Platoon Leader. He ended his army career in Kitzingen, Germany, serving there for two years in the First Infantry Division 63rd Tank Battalion as a Platoon Leader and Communications Officer. He separated from the Army in 1954 and was honorably discharged from the Army Reserves in 1957.

After leaving the army, Harry began his civilian career as a toolmaker apprentice in the Production Department of the Charleston Naval Shipyard. He was promoted to Design Technician in the Planning Department in 1962. In 1965 he accepted a position as Project Coordinator in the Submarine Antennae Department of the Naval Ship Engineering Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he received several awards for the progress he made in the improvement of buoy antenna systems. In 1974 he was invited to return to the Planning Department of the Charleston Naval Shipyard as Nuclear Type Desk Manager, the position from which he would retire in 1985.

Not one to sit still, Harry accepted a position as Contract Manager for Sinclair and Associates for several years after which time he engaged in various business pursuits until 2002 when he fully retired. Though his working career was quite varied, when asked what his favorite job was, he immediately stated, “toolmaker” exactly where he began. Harry most enjoyed working alone and figuring out how to solve challenging problems.

Still not ready for idleness, Harry pursued hobbies in cabinet making, antique car and motor home restoration, and traveled with Corlys throughout the United States. He might have loved to work alone but he and Corlys filled their home with family and friends at every opportunity.

The core of Harry’s life was his faith in Jesus Christ. As a boy, he was baptized in the First Baptist Church of Granite Falls. For the rest of his life, he would try to serve Christ and His church, rearing his children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Along the way he learned that his faith would not provide a shield against trouble but would provide meaning, understanding, and purpose in difficult circumstances. In gratitude, he served his home church wherever he attended in many ways: Sunday school teacher, church moderator, membership on various committees, and Deacon.

Most recently, when Providence Baptist Church planned a move to Daniel Island, he helped with the preparation of the property for the new sanctuary. He also built, according to the design and specifications of architect Glenn Keyes, the conference table, pulpit, and communion table, as well as crosses for the steeple and sanctuary. Most pieces were crafted from an oak tree that fell on the church property during Hurricane Floyd.

His greatest hope was that the church would flourish and that those objects would be used in the service and worship of God for generations to come. In his retirement, Harry frequently used his broad knowledge of how things work, his problem-solving ability, and his skill in car repair and carpentry to serve the family, friends, and neighbors he loved. He was told in Officer Candidate School that he smiled too much, but his ready smile and quick wit, his love of a good story, and a strong bent toward inventive practical jokes kept all those who knew him laughing. His absence here will be keenly felt.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Providence Church or Metanoia, a nonprofit community development corporation in North Charleston very dear to his heart.