Ted DELEVORYAS

1929 - 2017

DELEVORYAS, Ted Ted Delevoryas, 87, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, June 29, 2017. Born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts on July 22, 1929, he spent parts of his life in Connecticut, California and Texas. As Ted would put it, he lived a long, great life. Ted was known for his academic endeavors and achievements in the field of paleobotany, specializing in seed plants of the Mesozoic era. He received numerous teaching and scholarly awards, including the prestigious Botanical Society of America Centennial Award, and was well-respected and admired by the paleobotanical community. In 2010, 14 of his former students and colleagues wrote and dedicated Plants in Mesozoic Time in honor of his life and contributions to the field. Ted valued his family and lifelong friendships, the closest having evolved from mentoring students and postdocs while a professor and chairman at the Department of Botany at The University of Texas at Austin as well as when he was a professor at Yale. Ted was known for his gentle nature and wit. He had a way of making people laugh and putting a smile on their faces. Ted also liked to challenge his mind and sought to continue to learn throughout his life. At age 72, he took up the cello, his first love, which he was able to enjoy throughout retirement. He could often be found working a New York Times crossword puzzle, playing Scrabble, reading a book, or enjoying classical music. In his earlier years, Ted liked to sail and introduced his children and stepchildren to sailing. Ted was a staunch supporter of many organizations involving classical music and botanical gardens. Ted was preceded in death by his parents, Basil and Sophie Delevoryas, and his brothers John and Nicholas. He is survived by his siblings Lillian and Mark; his two sons, Matt and Chris; his stepchildren, Marlena, Michael and Melanie; his grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and his ex-spouses, Nancy and Cecilia. In honoring Ted's wishes, his body was donated to the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he will continue to make a contribution to expanding knowledge in science. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to either the Austin Symphony or Zilker Botanical Garden.