Brian Kavanaugh De Coverley

Brian de Coverley was born on December 31, 1956, and left us on April 11, 2023, at the age of 66 due to complications following heart surgery. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Melody, and a proud father to his three children, Michelle, Valarie, and Brian Jr. He was also a cherished grandfather, lovingly known as Pawpaw, to his six grandchildren, Evan, Evelyn, Afton, Wilson, Ella, and Wesley.

Brian was a larger-than-life figure at 6'7" and a man of deep faith who loved Christ, his family, teaching, basketball and art.

His passion for basketball started at a young age and continued in High School where he quickly became a standout player. He continued his love for the game throughout college. After starting school at Laredo Junior College, he transferred to Sam Houston State University. There, of course playing on the basketball team, he ultimately earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, majoring in Physical Education and minoring in Art.

Soon after graduating from college, he met the love of his life, Melody Davis. Together, they raised three children: Michelle, Valarie, and Brian Jr. As a father, Brian was hard on his kids, but he also taught them, making everything a teaching moment. He also instilled in them the same Christian faith that he held so dear. He often connected life experiences to lessons from the Bible and was always ready to share his faith with anyone who would listen.

Brian had a heart for teaching and spent 25 years in the Everman school district teaching Physical Education and Art while coaching basketball, softball, volleyball, and track. He was passionate about teaching and took great pride in seeing his students succeed, both on and off the court. He liked the movie “Hoosiers” as he related to the main character’s experience as a basketball coach and admired how his desire to win extended to motivating his players to believe they could.

While teaching, Brian continued to nurture his love for art. He had a unique abstract illustrative style made of various geometric shapes that was both colorful and intricate. His artwork was not only showcased in commissioned murals, but he also was known to gift his finished pieces to family and friends.

Brian was a man who could fix anything, and he was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. He was dependable and hardworking, often holding down two or three jobs to provide for his family. Despite his busy schedule, Brian always made time for them. He enjoyed taking them camping, to the beach, and riding bikes together. In his free time, he would ride his bike to Half Price Books to find new books to read, would go to the library to play chess (he was proud of his score) and he could often be found at a nearby basketball court, playing for hours on end.

In his later years, Brian became a proud and doting grandpa, or Pawpaw, as his grandchildren called him. He loved spending time with them, taking them for piggyback rides, making them laugh, teaching them how to dribble a basketball and play checkers and playing in the waves at the beach.

Brian's legacy lives on through his loved ones and the countless lives he touched throughout his life. He is survived by his wife, Melody, their three children, Michelle Dias and her fiancée Tomas Rodriguez, Valarie Graf and her husband Jonathan Graf, and Brian de Coverley Jr., mother Mary Lucille Love Pumphrey, sisters Deirdre de Coverley and Andrea Knickerbocker, brothers Billy Clark Pumphrey and Thomas Rae Pumphrey, six grandchildren, Evan Dias, Evelyn Graf, Afton Reamy, Wilson Graf, Ella Graf, Wesley Graf, and many relatives, cousins, friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his grandmother Helen Wheeler Love, father Bill Pumphrey, father-in-law Otis Chapman Davis and mother-in-law Jo Davis.

His family takes comfort in the knowledge that he is now with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they will cherish his memory always.