Devon Cole Bender

1993 - 2013

Devon Cole Bender, 19, of Weldona, died Thursday morning, April 4, 2013, at Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan. Devon had been courageously battling a heart condition all of his life.
He was born in Greeley on July 15, 1993 to Dean and Gina (Baumgartner) Bender. Devon attended Weldona schools where he was active in basketball and FFA. He graduated with the class of 2012 from Weldon Valley High School.
Devon attended Life Fellowship in Fort Morgan. He enjoyed race cars, muscle cars, and serving on the Fall Harvest Car Show Committee. He loved farming, and he was an avid hunter and fisherman. Devon's family and friends were most important in his life. He was the type of man that would help anyone in need and he always had a special way of being able to bring smiles to the faces of those he loved the most.
Devon will be greatly missed by his parents, Dean and Gina Bender of Weldona; his brother and sister, Dylan Bender and Danea Bender, both of Weldona; his sister, Brittany VanLandshoot and her husband, John, of Denver; his maternal grandparents, Stan and Cheryl Baumgartner of Wiggins; his paternal grandparents, David and Jeanne Bender of Weldona; the love of his life, Rachael McCracken of Fort Morgan, as well as a host of cousins, extended family, and countless cherished friends.
Devon was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Terri Bender; and his great-grandparents, Jake and Esther Baumgartner, Chester and Corina Popp, Paul and Tabea Bender, and Carl and Gloria Maag.
Friends may visit at Heer Mortuary in Fort Morgan on Tuesday, April 9th, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Services to celebrate Devon's life will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10th, at Wiggins Event Center in Wiggins. Interment will follow in Memory Gardens in Fort Morgan.
In memory of Devon, memorial donations may be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado, 7951 E. Maplewood Ave., Suite 126, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
Heer Mortuary in Fort Morgan is entrusted with the arrangements.