Dorothy Devries

DOROTHY DEVRIES June 8, 1922 March 12, 2015 Dorothy Frieda Jud DeVries, 92, died peacefully at Providence Hospice in Waco on March 12, 2015. A memorial service of commemoration and thanksgiving for her incredible life will be held at Central Presbyterian Church, 9191 Woodway Drive, in Waco, on Sunday, March 15, at 4 p.m. Rev. Charles Packard will officiate. Internment will take place at Riesel Cemetery, Riesel, Texas, at 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 16. Dorothy was born on June 8, 1922, in Pocohontas, Missouri, to Daniel Arnold Jud and Aurelia Luhn Jud. She was the eighth of nine children. She was the daughter and granddaughter of Protestant ministers. Dorothy graduated from Riesel High School in 1940. She graduated from Baylor University in Waco in 1944. During her undergraduate years at Baylor, Dorothy became interested in Christian missionary service and Christian education. She graduated from Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1947 and worked two years as a Christian Education Director in several churches. In 1949, she moved to Baghdad, Iraq, to work as a Christian missionary schoolteacher for a girls' school and served with great distinction there for four years. In 1953, she met John DeVries, who was a missionary schoolteacher in Basra, Iraq. They returned to America and were married in Riesel on August 15, 1953. Dorothy's marriage was blessed with the birth of two sons and a daughter. Her daughter died shortly after birth. After seventeen years of marriage, her marriage ended. She moved back to Waco. Dorothy enjoyed a successful career as a licensed professional counselor and teacher. Most of her attention was directed to at-risk youth and children in Waco. She worked in Waco area school districts for seventeen years before she retired in 1987. She earned a Master's Degree in Counseling from Baylor University. After retirement, she devoted much time to her grandchildren and served as a den mother for her granddaughters' Girl Scout Troop for several years. Dorothy was an accomplished water color painter. She was a member of the Central Texas Watercolor Society. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Hildegarde Gansz, Helen Jud, and Martha Fankhauser; brothers, Arnold Jud, Marcus Jud, Eugene Jud, and Charles Jud; and infant daughter, Margaret Ellen DeVries. Her survivors include her sons, John DeVries of Waco, and Mark DeVries and wife, Susan, of Nashville, Tennessee; four granddaughters, Sarah DeVries and husband, Carlos Perez, of Xalapa, Mexico, Lisa DeVries of Victoria, Texas, Debbie Wince and husband, Rev. William Wince III, of Princeton, New Jersey, and Leigh DeVries of Princeton; one grandson, Adam DeVries and wife, Sara, of Nashville, Tennessee; three great granddaughters, Lisa Perez DeVries, Parish DeVries, and Nealy DeVries; and one great grandson, Liam Wince William Wince IV. Dorothy's family is grateful for the superb medical care provided by Dr. Todd Blattman and Dr. Michael Attas. Dr. Attas inserted a pacemaker that prolonged Dorothy's high quality life for more than a decade. Dorothy's family expresses sincere appreciation to the staff and caregivers of Stilwell Retirement Center of Waco, Sterling House of Waco, Quality Care of Waco, and Providence Hospice. Dorothy's family is grateful for the care that was provided by her nephew, James Jud. Dorothy's family is grateful that she died a relatively painless and peaceful death after a brief illness. Dorothy was an idealist who longed for a more humane world free of the chaos of war and blessed by the presence of justice and community. Dorothy was a superb mother, grandmother, great grandmother, servant, scholar, teacher, wife, and friend. Her children, grandchildren, and many friends grieve her death but celebrate her life. Dorothy was a Christian who believed in liberty for all captives, freedom for all oppressed persons, and good news for all. Luke 4:18. She was a stalwart opponent of prejudice. She spent her life in a ministry of reconciliation and brotherhood. She will be sorely missed by the many persons who respected and loved her. For those who wish to make a memorial donation in Dorothy's honor, the family suggests FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION P O Box 271, Nyack NY, CARITAS OF WACO 300 South 15th Street, Waco TX 76701, or CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 9191 Woodway Drive, Waco TX 76712. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WHBfamily.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey