Deveney Bixler Totten

Deveney Bixler Totten
Walnut Creek, CA
January 29, 1951 to April 20, 2024

When she wasn't deep into a book, strolling on the beach or cheering on her beloved Oakland A's, Deveney was a talented attorney, dedicated wife and loving mother and grandmother. She was a textbook demonstration of resilience. In challenges in her life, she came back stronger.

Deveney Ruth Bixler was born to Ray and Virginia Bixler in Kentucky. While her parents loved her, they were unable to appropriately care for her. Her stability in her early years came from her adored grandpa Russ Harper. At 13, she found her forever foster home with Jean and Jim Manessier and their daughter Julie in Riverside, California.
She graduated from Central High in Riverside and UC Riverside before attending law school at University of San Diego and Southwestern. In law school, she met a recently graduated engineer, Larry Totten. Their love story carried on for five decades. The depth of their love was evident to anybody who saw them, especially in the later years when Larry's care for Deveney was patient and dignified.

Having grown up in foster homes, Deveney was determined to provided a loving, caring and stable home for her three children. She never missed an opportunity to celebrate big - from amazing birthday parties, to over-the-top Halloween decor to Christmas presents stacked high under the tree. She encouraged her children to be independent by always providing a reliably soft landing when they needed to fall. She picked the school that all three would attend through 8th grade by the way she saw a preschool teacher cuddling a sad pupil in a bathtub full of pillows.

Deveney was a skilled negotiator, working for insurance companies for her entire career - all while raising three children. Somehow, she juggled winning at settlement conferences with never missing a lacrosse game or the family's annual trip to Disneyland. She made many sacrifices in her career to be there for her children and Larry.
Deveney is survived by her husband Larry, her children Vanessa Ryan (Glen), Jenny, and Jeff (Susie), and her grandsons Connor and William Ryan and a new addition expected this summer. She is also survived by her sister Julie and her "half-sibs" Danae, Minda, Robert and Andrea. Her family is forever grateful for her caregiver Heidi and the wonderful staff at the Bruns House who provided comfort in her final days.

A celebration of her life will be held on May 18 at 3 pm at the Lafayette Park Hotel. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a gift to Hospice of the East Bay (Bruns House) or the Alzheimer's Association.