Ora Fred Veach

Brownie Veach

Ora Fred Elmer "Brownie" Veach, of
Kirksville, passed away Wednesday November 13, 2013.

Mr. Veach was born October 15th, 1922, near
Lick Skillet in Putnam County Missouri, the son of Hobart and Gladys (Vincent)
Veach.

In January of 1944 Brownie married Norma Lee
Barb of Downing, MO, whom he survived. They were married 66 years.

Brownie leaves behind his son, Kim Veach of
Greentop MO; his older son and family, Dennis and Sharon Veach, of Sachse TX,
and granddaughter, Jennifer Veach of Cornith TX; and his sister and her
husband, Doris and Bill Richardson, of Unionville, MO; many other relatives and
friends.

Brownie graduated from Davenport Iowa's
Central High School where his baseball career began. He was much sought after
as a pitcher and second baseman, playing Semi-Pro ball until the fall of 1951,
for many small towns in north Missouri and southern Iowa during Semi-Pro
baseball's big era. He trained with the St. Louis Cardinals at Lynchburg, VA,
in 1944, choosing to return home to Semi-Pro ball, playing on two teams that
won the State Championship. He often played four to six games a week with four
clubs at a time, often against the Kansas City Monarchs, of the famous Negro
League.

Along with playing baseball, Brownie coached
Downing (MO) High School boys and girls basketball, while teaching health and
English. With his father-in-law, Brownie owned Downing's Phillips 66 gas
station for two years until he moved to Kirksville and enrolled in Northeast
Missouri State Teachers College (now Truman University), graduating in May of
1951 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and Industrial Arts. He earned a
life-time teaching certificate while he coached girls and boys basketball in
Greentop MO High School. In the fall of 1951 Brownie and Norma took jobs with
River Construction Co. in the pipeline's payroll office in Mississippi.

Returning to Missouri, Brownie took and
passed the 1952 Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) test to become an
Agent in the Protection Section. Over the years Brownie worked or managed areas
thorough the state. Some notable places or events were: the Missouri and
Mississippi rivers; the Ozarks; the 1954 Prison Riot behind the walls at
Jefferson City; Bull Shoals Lake; counting and surveying geese in Canada; and
managing the State hunting concession at Swan lake National Waterfowl Area in
Sumner, the largest Canadian hunting area in the United States at the time. In
1964 Brownie transferred to MDC's new Upland Game Program where he managed all
the areas in the State. Eventually the program became so large that it was
split into two parts. He then was in charge of the northern section of the
State. In 1966 he also took over management of land and water areas surrounding
the Thomas Hill power plant at Macon. Brownie retired in October of 1979 after
27 years of devoted work to the State.

In Kirksville, Brownie was involved in the
Saddle Club following his retirement and a member of the First Baptist Church.
For the next ten years he was very active in local and state high school rodeo
programs. Brownie was also a photographer and writer. In 1994, with Norma's
help at the typewriter, Brownie wrote his life story in the book,
"Changing Hats". It has been of great interest to family, friends and
many acquaintances.

Brownie had a lifelong love of fishing,
hunting, wildlife, baseball and other sports, and all his family. He will be
missed by many folks in this community and beyond.

Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday (November 16, 2013) at the Davis-Playle Hudson-Rirmer Funeral Home with
Reverend Jim Robinson officiating. Burial will be in Park View Memorial
Gardens.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8
Friday evening at the Davis-Playle Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home, 2100 E. Shepherd Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501

Memorials are suggested to the First Baptist
Church of Kirksville or the Rose Cemetery of Putnam County.