Daniel Richard Veazey

SUN CITY - Daniel Richard "Dick" Veazey, a retiree from Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich., and an engineer as well as a former manager of the Company's Yucca, Ariz.; Romeo, Mich. and Dearborn, Mich., Proving Grounds, suffered a bad fall at home on an upward-sloping concrete driveway the evening of Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. Falling backwards, he received head lacerations, skull fracture and brain damage. Early the next morning he passed away at Banner Boswell Memorial Hospital in Sun City. Having had polio in childhood, he seemingly had no visible after-effects or deformity until about 20 years ago when surgery necessitated some spinal support. A few years later, a special brace, which he designed, was necessary to hold up his head, to keep his chin off his chest as neck and throat muscles weakened. In the last few years as mobility became limited, falls were frequent. He had been diagnosed as having Post-Polio Syndrome. In the medical world it is called Post-Polio Sequalae. Born in Moline, Ill. of Daniel Ralph and Frances D. Veazey, he was a longtime resident of Pontiac, Mich., in his early years, later living in West Bloomfield and Dearborn, Mich. In retirement, he lived in Oceanside, Calif. briefly, and for 27 years in Sun City, Ariz. Dick was a 1948 graduate of General Motors Institute, now Kettering University, in Flint, Mich., with a BME degree. He belonged to several professional organizations some of which are Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society, Engineering Society of Detroit, Phi Gamma Delta, and Society of Automotive Engineers. Other club affiliations were Rotary Club of Kingman, Ariz., BPO Elks in Pontiac, Kingman and Sun City, and three different Kiwanis clubs, the last of which was Sun City Agua Fria, where he had served as assistant secretary and later as secretary for over 10 years. He earned several awards for outstanding service and outstanding secretary. He was a 30 year Kiwanian, was also a member of American Legion Post 62 and the Engineers Club of the West Valley. Dick's philosophy was "Give back" to where you live and to any organization you belong to. He leaves his wife, Mary; several cousins in Fla.; and step-nieces, in Tennessee. His parents and only one sibling, Dione, predeceased him. Burial was at the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, Ariz. at a private service, inground inurnment followed, on Nov. 8, 2013. He was a Korean war veteran. A Celebration of Life and Memorial service will be held on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013 at Congregational Church in Sun City, 99th Avenue and Union Hills Drive at 11 a.m. Persons wishing to honor his memory may make a contribution to either of the following: A gift for research: Polio Health International, The Research Fund, 4207 Lindell Blvd., # 110, St. Louis, MO 63108 – 2930; A gift to help Valley residents with Post-Polio Syndrome, Polio Echo, Inc., P.O. Box 61024, Phoenix, AZ 85082. Funeral arrangements by Menke Funeral Home in Sun City.