December 15, 1933 – February 4, 2024
Henry R. DeVries, age 90, of Crete, IL, formerly of Lansing, IL, went home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, February 4, 2024.
Henry was born on December 15, 1933, and raised on a farm south of Chicago, in the Blue Island area. As a child growing up during the Great Depression, he learned thrift from an early age. He became a man who always appreciated his many blessings, and he continually had an eye out for a good bargain.
He studied engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology in the 1950s. In 1957, he was drafted into the military, where he carried out electrical engineering work while stationed in Germany. Following his discharge he worked as an engineer, married his high school sweetheart, and started a family. In 1977 he co-founded Atlas Pumps, where he designed and manufactured stainless steel corrosion-resistant centrifugal-force pumps for industrial applications.
Following his retirement, he remained active in the community by volunteering at the Seaman’s Mission and at his church, as well as joining a photography club, tending a large garden, going on flea market expeditions with a buddy, and regularly meeting with friends from his cardiac rehabilitation program.
Henry is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Elaine DeVries, nee Fieldhouse; his daughter Andrea (Howard Degenholtz) DeVries; his grandchildren Isaac, Sonia, and Annabel, as well as his sister Carol (Vern) Hoffman, brother David (Ruth) DeVries, sisters-in-law Joyce DeVries and Audrey Carlson; brother-in-law Richard Fieldhouse, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Charles, and parents Richard and Elizabeth DeVries.
A memorial service and subsequent luncheon will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Crete Church, 24755 S Country Ln, Crete, IL 60417. A private family burial will take place at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL on Friday, February 16, 2024. Memorial contributions may be given to Faith and Action (https://www.faithandactiononline.org/). Arrangements entrusted to Smits Funeral Home- Dyer, IN. For further information, please contact 219-322-7300
