William John Devine

Devine, William John SAN DIEGO -- W. John Devine passed away on Febuary 17, 2014 after a long, hard-fought battle with leukemia at the age of 73. John was born on April 27, 1940 in Brooklyn, NY son of William John (Jack) Devine Sr. and Rita Kiernan Devine (both deceased). John attended St. Anselm's Priory ( now Abbey) High School in Washington, D.C. and Catholic University and the University of Maryland. John served in the Army in 1963-1965. John joined Toys R Us in 1966 and helped grow the company from 4 stores to over 200 and from $10 million to over $1 billion in sales. He opened their 2nd market in Los Angeles in 1968. In 1972 he was promoted to Exec. V.P. and COO and started their international division in 1982. He retired in 1983 to the Dominican Republic. In 1991 he became CEO of Child World. He moved to San Diego in 1997. John was a world class bridge player including being 3-time National Bridge Champion. John was also an outstanding golfer including being a 3-time Club Champion at the Knickerbocker CC in New Jersey and Sr. Club Champion and 2-time winner of the Lomas Cup at Lomas Santa Fe CC in Solana Beach. John is survived by his beloved fiancee, Jan Gallagher, his 2 sons, Jack and Liam, and his 2 daughters, Tyler and Juliana. He has 2 brothers, Brian and Terry and 2 sisters Rita Marie Grace and Ann Burns. He also has 3 grandsons, Walker, Miles, and Dominic. Memorial services will be held at a later date.