Mary A. DeVries' Obituary
Mary A. DeVries, of Paris, passed away Friday March 15, 2013 at her home, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on October 10, 1921 in Chicago IL., the daughter of Rocco and Lucy(Melf) DeVivo. They moved to the Grant Center area in 1926 when Mary was 5 years old. Mary lived in the Big Rapids area for most of her life. On June 21, 1941 she married Gale L. DeVries. They had 62 happy years together. Gale passed away in 2004. Mary worked for Wolverine World Wide and later at Ferris State University, retiring in 1984. She lived life to the fullest. Her greatest joy was her family and friends. Her many pets were also very close to her heart, especially her cat, Tomi. Mary enjoyed crocheting, the Detroit Tigers, and watching and feeding birds and other animals in her back yard. Some of her fondest memories were her trips to Italy to visit relatives, once with her sister and again with two of her grandsons. Mary took pleasure in cooking for her family. Her homemade spaghetti sauce and Italian sausage were always a request for birthday dinners. She is survived by two sons, Ron (Paulette) DeVries of Big Rapids, Ken (Sue) Devries of Big Rapids, two daughters, Lynda DeVries of Evart and Lori (Mike) Beard of Big Rapids. Mary will be greatly missed by her 8 grandchildren, Rhonda, Rick, Paul, Jeff, Kara, Shawn, Jordan and Taylor, and her cherished great grandchildren, Stephanie, Mackenna, Lee, Logan, Emma, Seth, Mitchell, Mason, Ryan, Sydney, Allysen, Elise and Natalie. Also surviving are two sisters, Bessie Heemstra of Wyoming, MI and Theresa Fry of Grant Center. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one sister Gertrude Kilgore of South Bend, IN and one brother Mike DeVivo and his wife Dorothy of Hersey, MI. Funeral services for Mary will be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday March 19, 2013 at the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids, with Pastor Duane Stanton officiating. Her family will greet friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. prior to services. Burial will follow at Pine Plains Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Old Country Church in Grant Center.
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