David Charles DeVries

After more than 88 years of filling our world with stories, jokes, guidance and advice, our beloved patriarch, Dave DeVries, passed from this life on April 22, 2020, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings of natural causes. He was born on Oct. 12, 1931, on the family farm on Clear Creek outside of Roberts, Montana, to Charles and Margaret DeVries, the youngest of their five children.

Dave graduated from Roberts High School in 1949 and took a number of jobs, including hauling milk for the creamery in Laurel and throwing rivets on a railroad crew, before joining the Air Force in 1951. He was stationed at Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco serving in the 9th and 5th Air Police Squadrons as an Air Policeman. He was commended a number of times by his officers and was recognized for his weapons marksmanship while in the service. Dave was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1954 and continued serving in the Air Force Reserve. He was extremely proud of his military service and often marched in the Memorial Day parades with his brothers, cousins and nephews.

Following his discharge, Dave came back home to Montana with a beautiful, gracious, intelligent, and hard-working woman to whom he was married for 67 years. Dave and Kathy raised four children and now have seventeen grandchildren, nineteen great grandchildren and two great great grandchild. Their last wedding anniversary was held only a few days before Dave left us.

Upon his return to Montana, Dave attended Eastern Montana College for two years and obtained a teaching certificate. An elementary school position opened up mid-year, and he applied even though he had not yet acquired any teaching experience. As the story goes, once Dave completed his interview, the principal stepped out into the hall to inform the other candidates who had applied that the position had been filled. This first job was at West Side Elementary School in Livingston in 1957, and Dave taught two years in Livingston and one year in Red Lodge before moving to Dillon where he completed his studies to obtain a B.A. in Elementary Education in 1961. Dave went on to teach for another 22 years in schools in Columbus, Belfry and, finally, Billings, retiring in 1983. His last 19 years of teaching were at Burlington Elementary School where he taught 6th grade. 'Mr DeVries' will certainly be remembered by his students for penmanship, foreign country reports, seed pictures, track and field coaching, softball at lunch time, and providing fair discipline and guidance when necessary. Dave was very proud of his students. He talked extensively about their track and field achievements and even maintained a file with favorite penmanship assignments from eighty-five of his students. Dave touched many, many lives with his teaching.

Teachers are free during the summers to take on summer work, and Dave served as a forest ranger or gate attendant at the fair in Billings, before finally finding the dream job that brought him back to his roots in farming. In 1967, Dave was hired by the Montana Department of Agriculture to serve as a Hail Adjuster in the state's Hail Insurance Program. The work gave him an opportunity to travel around Montana and more importantly to socialize with farmers with whom he felt a strong affinity. Dave retired from this work in 2013 after 46 years, most of which he served as Chief Hail Adjuster. Dave was recognized for being fair and very astute at identifying crop losses. He conducted many training sessions with state adjusters and adjusters from private companies on recognizing crop hail losses. Dave loved meeting farmers, having coffee in the kitchen, and traveling Montana's back roads in his white Ford Ranger. He was also a wealth of knowledge on the best cafes and hotels in the state. No one is perfect, especially with all of the calculations required on a hail loss adjustment, but the one thing that can be said for certain is that, if Dave ever erred on an adjustment, it was always in favor of the farmer. He fought hard for the high hangers.

Dave had numerous other passions. He was an avid fisherman and hunter who was an outstanding marksman. Those who hunted with him will be able to recall some of the spectacular shots he made. Dave was also a finish carpenter, famous for building glider chairs, gun cabinets, display cases and wooden toys. He also had a passion for country music, especially for the songs of Ian Tyson, Mel Tillis, Chris LeDoux, Jerry Wallace and Charley Pride, among others. He often made cassette tapes and, later CDs, with collections of his favorite songs that he gave out to people. Dave was also a consummate joke teller, often the life of the party, and he collected printouts of his favorite funny, inspirational stories which he shared widely.

In addition to his extraordinary sense of humor, Dave was also compassionate and good-natured, even later in life when the pains of old age beset him. He loved talking to people. His mark on the world will continue on in his children who he taught to work hard, to listen to other people, and to be kind. The first two he explicitly gave to us; the last, he showed us.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Charlotte Bellem and Grace Harmala Jarvi, brothers Ernie and Art, and an infant daughter. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; son Mike (Jo) from Livingston, daughter Deb Morgan from Red Lodge, daughter Cynthia Hansen (Brian) from Billings, and daughter Heidi Goodpaster (Dave) from Billings. Surviving grandchildren are Jacob DeVries (Amy Dripchak) from Livingston, Matthew DeVries (Hilary) from Livingston, Elizabeth DeVries from Tucson, Arizona, Chuck Taylor (Krista) from Billings, Quentin Taylor (Lonnie) from Belfry, Dusty Taylor (Jaime) from Bridger, Shannah Wilson from Hamilton, Jesse Wilson from Billings, Rose Hansen from Billings, Rebekah Hope from Polson, Katie Hansen (Fiancé Eric White) from Billings, Zack Hansen from Billings, Shane Zumbrun from Billings, Stetson Zumbrun from Red Lodge, Seth Zumbrun (Mandi) from Billings, Jesse Goodpaster (Nicole) from Billings and Stephanie Goodpaster from Billings. Surviving great grandchildren are Scotlyn Taylor, Grayson Taylor, BaLeigh Reichert (Tom), Hunter Taylor, Anna Young (Dylan), Rocco Myers, Ashten Swaim, Scotty Cameron, Izaac Cameron, Ariella Hansen, Illyanna Wilson, Gracie Wilson, Aiden Begay, Isaiah Begay, Bella Begay, Saber Squeque, Cooper Zumbrun, Colt Zumbrun, and Jackson Goodpaster. Surviving great great grandchild are Myah Young and Zion Young.

A private Graveside Service will be held on April 29, and a Memorial Celebration will be held at a later date, likely near the end of June. The family would like to invite anyone with any stories to tell about 'Dado', Mr. DeVries, or Dave to mail them to Kathy DeVries at 3105 Brookway Drive, Laurel, MT, 59044, or email them to Mike DeVries at mdevries02@yahoo.com. These will be compiled and shared at the Memorial Celebration. In these difficult times with the COVID-19 pandemic, the family would like anyone wishing to further express a memorial for Dad to make a contribution in his name to any of the organizations that are providing financial support to small family farms.

'God has you in heaven, but I have you in my heart. I have you in my heart.' - from '21 Years' by TobyMac