Devon Christopher Dobek

The world became a better place on July 31, 1974, when Devon Dobek was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. The firstborn of Walter and Rita Dobek, he would later become big brother to two sisters.

In 1980, Walt and Rita moved their family across the country and settled first in Corvallis, Oregon, and finally in Philomath, where Devon graduated from high school in 1992. Devon was a star athlete in high school, competing in both track and cross country. His love and passion for running continued in college. Devon graduated from Oregon State University in 1998 with a BS in Business Administration. Over the next several years, Devon would train for, participate in, and medal in many marathons, including the Boston Marathon. His dedication and success led him to qualify for several Ironman triathlons. The first triathlon Devon competed in was in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where he took eighth place. Devon was an accomplished triathlete, completing events in Florida, Kona, and more.

Because Devon thrived on being busy and had a desire to turn his abilities into income, he began painting and doing odd jobs for property management companies in high school. Like everything else he did, he perfected his craft and made it a business. Devon officially started his own painting business, Ladders' Edge, in 2006 and would continue transforming people's homes and businesses with his skill and attention to detail for the rest of his life.

In 2009, Devon was hired at Mentor Graphics, later known as Siemens, in Wilsonville, where he continued his education in the IT field and worked his way to becoming a platform engineer. Devon was a dedicated, respected, and valuable employee.

Throughout his life, Devon cultivated and perfected many hobbies. Most notable was probably his love of and skill for the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. Devon was known to take on the most challenging hunts, doing whatever it took to respect the sport, the land, and the animal he pursued, bringing home numerous beautiful trophies and the freshest, healthiest meat available. Devon loved to cook and to share his talents in the kitchen with those he loved.

Recently, Devon added woodworking to his large collection of skills and passions. His tireless pursuit of learning the craft, researching different specimens of wood, and attention to detail led to his creation of stunning, top-quality cutting boards and other unique designs. He formed River's Edge Woodworking with plans to turn his hobby into yet another side business.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 perfectly describes the way that Devon lived his life and passions: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Whatever it was-whether learning a new skill, helping a friend, supporting family, completing a mundane task, or tackling a huge obstacle-Devon did everything to the absolute best of his ability, and his ability was impressive.

Devon is survived by his parents, Walter and Rita Dobek; his two sisters, Jessica Ballard and Katie Capon; his nephews, Luke Ballard, Noah Ballard, and Taylor Ballard; his niece, Lillie Ballard; and his beloved dog, Rivers.

A private celebration of life will be held in the coming months.

Arrangements by Simon Cornwell Funeral Home and Cremation Services.