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William Arthur and Gloria Marguerite Devlin Jr.
William Arthur and Gloria Marguerite Devlin Jr.
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William Devlin Obituary
William was born on April 19, 1923, in Highland Park, the son of the late William and Esther (Tucker) Devlin.
Gloria was born on Feb. 11, 1924, in Detroit, the daughter of the late Francis and Mary (Sayers) Eppinger.
William and Gloria were married June 4, 1948, in Detroit.
William retired from Ford Motor Company after over 30 years as an engineer. Gloria retired from the Farmington Public Schools as a secretary.
Together they were residents of Fife Lake since 1993. William enjoyed woodworking, hunting and fishing. Gloria enjoyed porcelain painting and gardening. They both enjoyed potluck dinners and sharing their log cabin on the Manistee River with family and friends.
They are survived by their loving children, Kathleen Mary Taraba of Colorado, James Eugene (Denise) Devlin of West Bloomfield Hills and Susan Ann (Chris) Janowicz of Farmington Hills; siblings, Robert A. (Marjorie) Devlin and Mildred Brooks; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m., at Kalkaska United Methodist Church, with Pastor Greg Wolfe officiating.
Arrangements were made by Wolfe-O'Neill Funeral Home, our family serving yours.
This obituary was originally published in the Record-Eagle.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
5 Entries
Sue and Fred Arnold
September 22, 2008
Dear Family of Bill and Gloria,
We were very sad to hear of your loss. We were neighbors of Bill Sr. and Esther in Traverse City. We loved them dearly. They introduced us to Bill Jr. and Gloria. Esther thought of Gloria as her daughter. She and Bill were very proud of them and their grandchildren.
Know that you are all in our hearts and prayers.
Jan Paulus
September 20, 2008
I met your parents when they first moved to Fife Lake. I worked with them on some zoning issues. They were such a blessing to work with and I recently saw them in Kalkaska.
Such a wonderful couple. May God's peace be with you during this most sorrowful time.
Sharon and Dave Stockford
September 19, 2008
Dear Kathy, Susan, and Jim,
My husband and I just wanted you to know that your parents were surrounded with the love of their church family. We love, admire, and cherish both of them. They were Christian heroes to many of us. They professed a deep and abiding faith in many of the Sunday School classes and Bible studies that Bill led and Gloria supported. There were so many times in those classes that we were deeply touched by the depth of understanding, the amazing faith, and the generous love they shared with all of us.
As you grieve your parents, please know that they are free from pain, seizures, deafness, canes, and other physical struggles and in heaven. As I said to someone today as we remembered your parents in conversation, "If Bill and Gloria aren't in heaven, the rest of us are in very, very deep trouble." I have two images of them in heaven--one God is greeting them and hugging them as He welcomes them into heaven and the other---they are healthy and energetic and dancing a waltz with the love and affection for each other in their faces and eyes that we so often saw as they joyfully dance. I can see them both throwing back their heads and laughing with joy.
My husband, Dave and I, have often said that when we grow up, we want to be like Bill and Gloria. (We are 60 years old, by the way.) Your parents were firm in their faith, deeply in love with each other, and tremendous role models for their church, their family, and their community. We will miss your dad's wonderful voice as he read scripture. We will miss your mom's softer, but sometimes firm voice when she said, "Now, Bill!" We will miss their hugs and expressions of affection. While we will miss them horribly, we know your loss is so much more than ours. You and your families are in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for sharing your parents with us.
They said when they joined the church that they had been searching for a church home. When they walked in the door of Kalkaska United Methodist Church, they knew they were home. We have been so blessed by their making us their church home and are all so very grateful that they chose us as their church family.
God be with you all and keep you in the palm of His hand as you go through this difficult time.
Dessa and Dick McCall
September 19, 2008
Our heart felt condolences go out to you (Kathy, Susan and Jim) and your families for the untimely death of your parents.
We remember with fondness the family next door. Your parents always had a good word for everyone and their friendliness will never be forgotten.
Even in this tragic loss, you will always have the memories of all the good times that you had as a family.
God Bless You, Dessa and Dick McCall
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Bill & Patti Davis
September 19, 2008
to the family of Bill & Gloria - please know that these two wonderful people were a blessing to all who knew them and will be missed very much by their church family!
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