Robert DeVries

Robert "Bob" De Vries was a free-spirited and outgoing individual who approached life with a broad smile. He could craft buildings with his own hands or strike up a good conversation with equivalent amounts of ease. Throughout his life, Bob brought smiles and happiness to all those around him.

The "Nifty" Fifties were truly a decade of firsts in America. The post-war blues had blossomed into a thriving era of cultural and economic progression. As manufactured neighborhoods sprang up around the country, thousands of teenagers embraced a new form of music called Rock and Roll. Times were good and the country pulsed with a positive outlook for the future.

It was into this rapidly changing world that Bob was born, on the 27st of May in 1951. He was the first of four children born to a carpenter named Harwin and his wife Marilyn. Bob’s vibrancy and boundless energy shone through from the start. He was described as an extremely active child and who, by his father’s account, was "Running at 9 months". Bob, along with his brother Jack and sisters Deb and Deann grew up on the West Side of Grand Rapids. He attended West Side Christian School and later Grand Rapids Christian High School. While there he kept busy with the swim team and lent his beautiful bass voice to the school choir.

Bob’s life changed forever when he decided to go on a young people’s retreat at Camp Roger. In one of the activities offered by the camp, all the teens separated into couples. As the group of kids separated into pairs, there was only one boy and one girl left remaining. Those two were Bob and a girl named Kathy Cooper. After the activity he asked Kathy out and they agreed upon a Christian high football game as a first date. Poor Bob was so nervous during the date that he kept fidgeting with his class ring until it dropped under the bleachers! His nerves calmed a bit after their first date as they began to go steady.

Not long after, Bob graduated from high school and began taking automotive mechanics classes at Montcalm Community College. He chose to go into the construction business just like his father and grandfather had done before him. With a steady job, Bob began to make plans for his future with Kathy.

Bob and Kathy were married on May 3rd, 1974 at Mayfair Christian Reformed Church. Right afterward, they took a trip that included such sights as Gatlinburg, Tennessee and our nation’s capital. When the trip had concluded, Bob and Kathy set about the task of beginning their married life together. They loved to camp and take trips, as well as spending time in their Jeep Willie at Silver Lake Dunes.

Before long, both Bob and Kathy felt it was time to have children. Together they had 2 boys and 2 girls, just like Bob’s father and grandfather had (and in the same order too!). They named their children Troy, Tim, Traci and Tricia. As a father, Bob was really able to let his fun-loving and goofy nature run wild. He loved building wooden things with his kids in the garage and acting silly around them before bedtime to get them all wound-up. When one of the kids did something bad, it was always mom’s job to be the disciplinarian. He especially loved to take the kids out to Sandy’s donuts and talk to them while eating the sweet confections.

Often times Bob’s business took him away from his family to other parts of the country. He built Red Roof Inns with his father from the Northeast all the way to Atlanta. Sometimes he would be gone for 2 weeks at a time and could only come home every other weekend. He was still able to be very close and supportive of his family, though. Tim and Troy remember making audiotapes to mail to dad when they were little.

Back home, Bob was as active as could be. He was at every one of Troy's baseball games, and would take him out behind the bullpen to have a prayer with him before each game. Bob was always supportive and proud of his children. His lifelong love for music led him to join not only the choir, but also the talented Singing Men's Group at Sunshine Community Church. You could often find him listening to 91.3 FM or singing along to the Beach Boys, Sandi Patti or the Oak Ridge Boys.

Among the many things that Bob loved, going out to breakfast was high on the list. Bob Evans was his favorite – he sure loved his scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and potatoes. He took great pride in his cars, and would never hesitate to wash and wax the car on a warm day. But above all, Bob cherished the time he spent with his family more than anything. Whether the family was spending time at Lake Mitchell or he was planning the perfect surprise for Kathy’s birthday, Bob found the greatest happiness in the presence of his loved ones.

Robert De Vries went to his Heavenly home on Wednesday, March 10, 2004. Bob is lovingly remembered by his wife, Kathy; children, Troy, Tim, Traci, and Tricia; parents, Harwin and Marilyn De Vries; brother, Jack (Colleen) De Vries; sisters, Deb (Jim) Feyen and Deann (Tom) Wright; in-laws, Roy (Arlene) Cooper; brothers-in-law, Ed (Debbie) Cooper and Steve (Nora) Cooper; sister-in-law, Sue (Dan) Falk; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. The Funeral Service will be held at 1 P.M. on Saturday, March 13, 2004 at the Van’t Hof Chapel, 851 Leonard St N.W. Relatives and friends may meet his family at the funeral home today from 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. and on Saturday for one hour prior to the service. Interment in Washington Park Memorial Gardens. To read Bob’s complete life story, share a memory, send flowers or make a memorial contribution to the American Cancer Society or West Side Christian School, please visit his personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com. HERITAGE FUNERAL SERVICE - Life Story Funeral Homes.

Bob was a vibrant and energetic soul with boundless love for his family. He will be greatly missed.