James F. Devlin

EAST STROUDSBURG — James F. Devlin of East Stroudsburg, Pa., passed away at the age of 74 on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. He was the loving husband of Anna L. (Ritzie) Devlin, with whom he celebrated 53 years of marriage. Born in Kingston, Pa., he was the son of James and Mildred (Beline) Devlin.

James attended King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and went on to a successful career as a business software administrator. He rarely missed a Penn State football game, and enjoyed science fiction such as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and The X-Files. He was proud of his rock playlist and would often update us of his newest additions. He was a man's man, chopping cords of wood for the wood stove, changing his oil and doing house projects with his sons.

James resided in the East Stroudsburg area for the past 39 years, where he was an active member of St. Matthew's Catholic Church. Selflessly dedicated to his family, James would drive Anna to and from work on snowy nights, and happily volunteer to watch his grandkids, who were his wellspring of joy. He lived for family: bantering with Anna, having a beer and joking with his sons, and tirelessly playing with his grandkids.

With the help of skilled and caring medical staff and the support of his family, James valiantly defeated metastatic prostate cancer, determined to be present in the lives of his family, especially his grandchildren. His cancer surgery resulted in a urostomy, which he not only embraced for himself, but also used to visit and counsel new ostomy patients in their early phase of fear and apprehension. In fact, he proudly hosted the monthly meetings for the Ostomy Support Group of the Poconos.

In addition to his wife Anna, he is survived by two sons: James (Jimmy) L. Devlin and his wife Alicia of Collegeville, Pa.; and Louis J. Devlin and his wife Jessica of Nazareth, Pa.; five grandchildren: Aurora, Wyatt, Miles, Aurelius and Enzo; a sister, Ann Devlin Poepperling; and two brothers: John Devlin and Jerry Devlin.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. from St. Matthews Catholic Church, 200 Brodhead Ave., East Stroudsburg. There will be a viewing on Thursday, Oct. 19, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Joseph J. Pula Funeral Home Inc., 23 North 9th St., Stroudsburg, Pa.