BELMONT---John Albert DeVos, 86, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, October 18, 2020, on the same day that his wife passed just 5 years earlier.
John was the only child of Belgian immigrants, Sidonie (Godaris) and George DeVos. He was born on December 1, 1933, and was raised in Rock Island, IL. As a young, bright man, he answered the call to enlist in the Marines and would later serve in the Korean War.
In 1956, John married Velma Abney, whom he would be happily married to for 59 years. During that time, he worked for the U.S. government for over 30 years and they raised a daughter and son in East Moline, IL. In his spare time, he enjoyed the stock market and tracking his investments. John was known to his family to be very careful with money, a trait that often made Velma roll her eyes, but this would ultimately lead them to enjoy an early retirement.
While most people that met John would call him reserved, he had a great sense of humor and would sneak a joke in when you would least expect it, usually followed by an endearing smirk. He was also known to have well-informed opinions in the area of politics and enjoyed listening to barbershop quartet music. He could be often found at his desk crunching numbers and enjoyed calling his family in to listen to a song he really liked.
Once he retired and their children were grown, they relocated to New Hampshire to help raise their two granddaughters. When he wasn’t playing Nintendo 64 video games with his granddaughters, he enjoyed traveling with Velma to tropical locations like Hawaii and Aruba.
John is survived by daughter Denise Marden and her husband, Lewis Marden Jr. of Belmont, NH; son John B. DeVos and his husband, Jeff Whitney, of Loveland, CO; granddaughter Jenna Pearl and her husband, Brian Pearl, of Gilmanton, NH; grand-daughter Casondra Holub and her wife, Kylie Holub, of Trinidad, CA. John also leaves behind great-granddaughters Madelyn and Brooklyn Pearl.
John is predeceased by his parents, Sidonie and George Devos, and by his wife, Velma DeVos.
There will be no calling hours.
A Graveside Service with Military Honors will be held in the Spring at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, in Boscawen, NH.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.