Wallace "Wally" Jerome DeVries Sr.

Wallace Jerome DeVries was born to Willard and Johanna (Haats) DeVries on June 21, 1940, in Bejou, MN in the same farmhouse that his grandparents built and where his mother had been birthed. Wally was the second of seven children, Genevieve, Wallace, Jonathan, Arthur, JoAnne, David, and James. Wallace and Marlys Ann Leigh were married on June 4, 1960 in Thief River Falls, MN. They were blessed with five children: Christie Lynnette (Harry Doffing), Wallace Jerome Jr. (Kathy), Brian Joe (Lisa), Leighann Jo, and Julieann Jo (Jonathan Schmugge), 19 grandchildren: (Chris’s) Joshua, Tanya, Jesse,(Chip’s) Jared, Joell, Katrina, Michael, Sarah, (Brian’s) Meagan, Taylor, Rebecca, Ashley, Brandon, Jayce, Zachery, (LeighAnn’s) Chevelle, Cody, Cassondra, and Ceagan, and 13 great-grandchildren: Abigail, Caitlin, Dylan, Isabella, Gabriel, Mikayla, Daniel, Joshua, Anikah, Connor, Travis, Joslyn and Bowie. Wally worked hard on the farm and enjoyed many of the fun things of growing up in a rural setting. Driving tractors and cars at a young age, riding horse, skiing while being towed by a car, riding the hay slings from the top of the barn to the hayrack or ground below, hunting, climbing the windmill or silo to view the countryside, and driving around the country with a car and trailer collecting scrap iron to sell to raise funds for the church youth group. From the start Wally loved to work on machinery, and build shop projects like his dad. He made throwing slings from scrap iron and twine, converted equipment from being horse to tractor drawn, and converted an old Maytag motor to an air compressor for filling tires. Later in life these childhood inspirations would lead to the inventions and patents for various machines that he designed and created. Wally graduated from Bejou Elementary School in 1954, Mahnomen High School in 1958, and Thief River Falls Vocational School with a degree in accounting in 1960. In Thief River Falls, he met and married the love of his life, Marlys, shortly thereafter moved to So. St. Paul, began a new job with GTA Grain Company, and began a family with the addition of Christie (Chris), and Wallace Jr. (Chip). He returned to school, the University of Minnesota, studying Mechanical Engineering, graduating in 1968. His designing career included gravel crushing and handling equipment, potato harvesting equipment, tractor comfort cabs, tractor accessories such as loaders, production fabrication equipment, data storage devices, medical monitoring devises, and housing. Wally holds title to two patents. Right after his education was completed; triplets Brian, Leighann, and Julieann were born. This lively trio completed their family until grandchildren and great-grandchildren arrived. All have been a joy to Wally’s life. Wally was always ready to try something new. In 1964 when he was struck with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (usually a fatal cancer at that time) a new treatment of Radiation therapy was being researched by the U of M hospitals. Wally decided to give the treatment a try, and the cancer was beat into remission for about 10 years. When it flared up again a new method of combating the disease called Chemotherapy was evolving. He decided to give that a chance to work over the next few years, and again succeeded in beating the cancer into remission. Wally believed he was blessed with many extra years of quality life because he was willing to try something different to solve a problem! Wally passed on to be with his Savior; his parents; his sister, Genevieve; and his grandson, Jayce, on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at the age of 70 years, in Minneapolis, MN of a stroke, surrounded by his loving family. Wally will be greatly missed by Marlys, his wife of 50+ years; his children; 19 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. We will all miss Wally! In lieu of flowers please send memorials to a cancer society of your choice. Funeral Services were held at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 23, 2010 at Lake George Bible Chapel in Lake George, Minnesota. Pastor John Weiher was the officiant and the special music was provided by Pastor Aaron White. The pallbearers were Wally’s grandsons: Joshua Doffing, Ceagan DeVries, Aaron White, Jesse Doffing, Michael DeVries, Taylor Beauclaire, Brandon DeVries, Zachary DeVries and Cody DeVries. Honorary bearers were Wally’s brothers and sister. Visitation was held Thursday, July 22, 2010 from 7-9 pm at the Lake George Bible Chapel. Interment was at Bejou City Cemetery, Bejou.

Wallace "Wally" Jerome DeVries Sr.

June 21, 1940 - July 20, 2010