Roy Vicory passed away on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at the age of 91. He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He leaves behind his wife of 46 years, Barbara; his daughters Tracey, Dana, and Victoria; his son John; and his five grandchildren. He is preceded by his son Steven.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Roy, but thankful that he is at peace with no more pain. He was placed in hospice care on January 16, in his home in Phoenix, Arizona, where he loved to spend time with Barbara. He was able to pass peacefully with her next to him.
The family is currently accepting donations to help cover end-of-life expenses through the Roy Vicory Memorial Fund on GoFundMe.
Roy was born on October 26, 1929, in Dayton, Ohio to Lula (Brown) and Roy Everett Vicory. His childhood, while difficult for so many in the Great Depression, was full of life. He would tell stories of neighborhood mischief and adventures, trips to his uncle’s ranch in Nevada, and visits to extended family in Kentucky. He also had a lifelong love for baseball and played for Gem City, a semi-pro baseball team in Dayton.
During his senior year in high school right after he had turned 17, Roy’s mother became very sick, and eventually hospitalized with tuberculosis. His father, unwilling or unable to deal with her illness, left his mother, Roy, and his younger sister, Thelma. Roy’s brother Bob had just returned from WWII having been part, and wounded seriously, in the invasion of Normandy.
Roy decided to move his mother, sister, and himself to Colorado from Ohio soon after his mother’s diagnosis to give her a chance to survive her condition in the higher elevation. After only three months in Denver, she passed away. Before she passed, Roy was able to lie about his age and was hired into NCR’s engineering division. He attended engineering school for 4 years and was quickly promoted to branch manager in Cheyenne, WY, then again to Senior Engineer for the division. During that time, he married and had three children, Steven, Tracey, and Dana. After his first wife and he were divorced, Roy moved to the Lexington Apartments in Denver.
Barbara Smith also lived in the Lexington Apartments. The only person in the complex who didn’t get barked at by their German Shepherds was Roy. After Roy and Barbara met, he eventually asked her on a date to the symphony. Three short months after they met, they were married in Calvary Chapel on August 16, 1974, the date to the symphony still in the future. Roy and Barbara were inseparable for 46 years. He eventually retired from NCR to go to Youth with a Mission in Kona, Hawaii.
Eight years after they were married, Roy and Barbara welcomed their daughter Victoria into their family, and 18 months later, their son John. After attending a third YWAM school in Hawaii, they moved to Olympia, WA, where Roy began his second career with NFIB. His lifelong commitment to excellence in all he did continued, and he was a nationally recognized salesman. He and Barbara missed Colorado, so they moved back to Colorado Springs and eventually back to Denver.
They stayed in the Denver area for the next 30 years, raising their children through high school and college. With their kids out of the house, they opened a daycare center in their home which they managed for 10 years. Along the way, and especially in Colorado, Roy always had a home improvement project (or five) going and remained active in building, restoration, and landscaping. In March of 2019, Roy and Barbara moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to soak up the sun and enjoy the warm weather together.
