Joseph John DeBevec

Joseph John DeBevec Joseph John DeBevec lived life to the fullest, a practice he joyfully pursued every day with singular enthusiasm and energy. When the inevitable frailties of his 89 years finally overtook him, he passed peacefully and simply into the fullness of his God in the early hours of Dec. 26, 2004, in Scottsdale, AZ with his loving wife Annie at his side. Joe was born on Mar 11, 1915 into an immigrant mining family in Eveleth, MN, the sixth of seven children. His family was poor but hardworking and provided Joe with the foundations that would support him throughout his life. He often remarked: "We are the product of the kindness and direction of others; No one does this alone." From his father Anton and his eldest brother Tony, he learned the importance of discipline and hard work. His mother Agnes, among her many virtues, imbued in him the deeply rooted traditions of the Roman Catholic church, including charity and service to others; and the faith that he would say contributed to his every success in life. He adored his sister Aggie, the only girl in the family, and she most certainly influenced his love of music, which all the brothers shared. The meager economic circumstances of his early life, a subject he would regale anyone who would listen, most often his sons, were the source of his obsession with thrift and saving; and helped to develop his abiding service to others, especially to those less fortunate than he was. Education and personal development were always Joe's pursuit. He was a voracious reader and reveled in the process of learning throughout his life. At Eveleth High School, he was president of his class. His penchant for public speaking got its roots as president of the Sigma Phi Alpha drama society of Eveleth High School, and as president of Delta Psi Omega drama society at Eveleth Junior College. Later in life he was a member of two school boards, and served for 30 years on various financial boards for primary and secondary schools, and a university. He was the general finance chairman for the building of a University of Minnesota branch college in Morris, MN. The Benedictine community of Collegeville, MN, played a central role in his life and the education of his sons, and was the beneficiary of his financial support and guidance for 40 years. He served on a lay board in the early 1960s with seven prominent Minnesota businessmen to raise $4MM to build the new Marcel Breuer-designed campus for the St. Johns' College Preparatory School. He was an associate of St. John's University for 20 years. Ambition, achievement and enterprise were second nature to Joe. His first job delivering newspapers introduced him to the rewards of entrepreneurship and the skill to sell, so that when opportunity knocked in 1936 in the form of an invitation to join the J.C. Penney company in Eveleth as a stock boy and salesman, Joe was ready. He worked his way to the top of his form managing Penney stores in the Minnesota communities of Crosby-Ironton, Morris, and Little Falls where he retired in 1975. His guiding mantra in work was always: "There must be a better way." Family, he would say, was "numero uno." Although financial and career were important, they had their limits and he would turn down several promotions in the Penney organization in favor of time for his family. He adored his first wife Dorothy Ann Mack, his partner of 45 years and mother of their sons Jeffrey and Michael. Following Dorothy's death in 1983, Joe fell in love again, this time with Olive "Annie" Gill, a fellow Phoenix area snowbird and widow, and they married in June 1984. "Mum" as she is affectionately known, extended Joe's life for 20 years and added the immeasurable joys of her loving family and her Canadian culture, a heritage which Joe took on with the pride of a patriot. Community service was important to Joe, and his business skills and knowledge were applied wherever lived in. He was president of the three chambers of commerce; a member and officer of the Fraternal Order of the Elks, Lions and Kiwanis service clubs; board member of the Boy Scouts of America; and a regional manager for the Salvation Army. He was a financial advisor of charitable and faith-based organizations in 10 communities. He was the general finance chairman for fund drive at the St. Joseph Catholic Church of Crosby-Ironton, MN and the organ fund drive for St. Mary's Catholic Church of Little Falls, MN. He was a lay minister at St. Theresa's Catholic community of Phoenix where he installed the first bereavement program for widows and widowers following the death of his first wife Dorothy. Every Friday for eight years, he and his wife Annie served as kitchen line managers for the St. Vincent de Paul Society feeding the homeless of Phoenix. He loved children and was most happy when he could mentor the kids of his communities. His fund-raising efforts at St. Mary's grade school of Little Falls earned him the title of "Uncle Joe", an accolade that has endured to this day. He always supported the sisters of the Catholic convents in the towns in which he lived, most notably the members of the St. Francis community of Little Falls. He often said that his good fortune was due in large part to the prayers of the nuns. Joe served his country in World War II as a lieutenant in the US Army for 3 years in the European theater. He was a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Disabled Veterans of the U.S. He is preceded in death by his beloved first wife, Dorothy. He is survived by his wife Olive; two sons Jeffrey and Michael; Olive's daughters Carol Christie of Toronto and Elaine Shepherd of Kingston, Canada; son John Gill of Toronto; grandchildren Jess DeBevec, Aerie DeBevec, Emilia Balinskas, Rick Christie, Cathy Ambury, Jay Christie, Michelle Shepherd, and Cameron Shepherd; great grandchildren Beth Ambury, Chris Ambury, Emma Ambury, Sean Christie, Evan Christie, Gavin Christie, and Erica Christie. The family will receive Phoenix area friends on Tues., Dec. 28th from 5 until 8 pm at the Whitney-Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd. in Phoenix with a prayer service beginning at 7 pm lead by members of the St Theresa Catholic community. Visitation, funeral and gravesite services at Calgary Cemetery will be held Fri., Dec. 31st, at 9:30 am at St. Mary's Catholic Church of Little Falls, MN. In lieu the usual remembrances, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to one of the following: St. Vincent DePaul Society of Phoenix, Salvation Army (Central Minnesota), or the Joseph J. and Dorothy DeBevec Scholarship Fund at St. John's College Preparatory School, Collegeville MN.

Click here to view the obituary as it appeared in print.