Frances Devore

DEVORE, FRANCES, 92 Ocala - Frances DeVore, 92, a long-time reporter and columnist for the Star-Banner and a major supporter of the Southeastern Youth Fair, died Wednesday, Oct. 18 at her home in Reddick. Frances and her first husband, Marion Lytle, moved to Ocala from Evansville, Ind. on Dec. 7, 1941. During World War II, she cared for the children of other local women who had to work while their husbands were deployed overseas, charging as little as $1 a week to help the other mothers. In 1947, Frances, who had worked as a reporter in Michigan and Indiana, started with the Star-Banner as a proofreader. Except for a brief stint with the Orlando Sentinel, she continued to write for the Star-Banner until her death. During those 59 years, she was a society writer, covered city, county and school district government, and even made police rounds on horseback during her early days as a reporter. As the paper's first regional editor, she trekked to Williston, Inverness and Wildwood. In 1951, Frances helped found the Florida Women's Press Club to fight inequities that kept women from career advancement in the news industry. The club later allowed men to join and changed its name to the Florida Press Club. To this day, its annual award for public service journalism is named for Frances DeVore, who also won it on multiple occasions. Her journalism honors also included The New York Times Chairman's Award for her first-person account of a battle with cancer and a National Freedom Forum award for photojournalism. As a member of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce agricultural committee, Frances was integral in forming and promoting the Southeastern Youth Fair, which continues to this day as a popular venue for young people to display their livestock. Away from journalism and agriculture, Frances was also an actress. She was a member of the Marion Players, now known as the Ocala Civic Theatre, and even enjoyed a bit role as a frightened bank customer in the Elvis Presley film "Follow That Dream." She went into semi-retirement in 1979, but continued to write for the newspaper, sharing history, memories and insight with readers through her column, titled "That Reminds Me." Frances was preceded in death by her husband, W.E. "Elbert" DeVore, who was a Marion County commissioner, and sons Richard Lytle and Jim Sheppard. She is survived by a brother, Eric Schwenker, Evansville, Ind; son, George Sheppard, Reddick; daughter, Mary Frances Sheppard, Gainesville; stepsons, W.E. "Billy" DeVore, Newberry, Henry DeVore, Douglasville, Ga.; stepdaughters, Penny Hull, Reddick, Carol Markett, Reddick, and Esther Bell, Carollton, Ga; 18 grandchildren, including Donna Sheppard, 17 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in the name of Frances DeVore to the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity of Marion County or the Ocala Rape Crisis/Domestic Violence Center. A memorial service for Frances Devore, a Star-Banner reporter and columnist, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at First Presbyterian Church in Ocala. Arrangements provided by HIERS FUNERAL SERVICE, 910 SE Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala.