Fred Devries

Fred DeVries, 67, passed away peacefully Wednesday March 3 surrounded by family. After battling terminal cancer for an amazing 8 years (7 1/2 years longer than expected!) he can finally rest. Fred was born July 31, 1953 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada to Dutch immigrants, Lammert DeVries and Maria Voogdt. He leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Julie, 4 children and 3 grandchildren...Lindsay Smelser (Dave, Bryce 7, Lila 5), Adam DeVries (Mandi, Avery 4), Brittany DeVries, Jared DeVries (Eliana). He also has two brothers living in Canada, John (Joan) and Bill (Fiona). And hundreds of good friends, neighbors and business associates in the U.S., Canada and The Netherlands.

Fred never met a stranger. He had a larger than life personality, making friends everywhere he went, even in grocery lines. He was always positive, never complained and always put others ahead of himself. He wanted to help everyone he met and make them feel special. He was a rock, the person you would go to with any problem and he would try his best to fix it, usually with a joke and a smile. He loved his “chemo” noir and never turned down an opportunity to join a party. He especially loved children and would not hesitate to don fake glasses and mustache, tell silly stories or lead them in a dance. Anything to entertain.

After a prestigious sports career in high school and college, Fred worked in finance, sales and marketing for Nortel Networks, a large Canadian telecommunications company. That career took him to Boca Raton, FL, Mexico City, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong, giving his family a rich life of international travel. Ever the helper, he ended his career as a financial planner with Evershore Financial in Boca Raton.

We all love him and will miss his silliness and jokes.

The family would like to thank everyone for their condolences and love. A special thank you to our friend and amazing physician Dr. Alan Saitowitz. Alan saw Fred through his many years of cancer, with top specialist recommendations and his own unwavering dedication to Fred’s health and wellbeing.

A memorial service will be held Saturday March 13, at Spanish River Church on Yamato Rd. At 2 pm. Donations may be made to the charity Fred  helped establish, City House of Delray Beach, a transformational program giving support and a home to homeless single mothers at risk of losing their children to the state. Go to http://www.cityhousedelray.com/gifts-from-the-heart for donations

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Fred Devries, please visit our floral store.