Obituary of Katherine E DeVore

Katherine “Kitty” DeVore passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Monday, May 18, 2015. She was 98 years old. Kit was born on February 19, 1917 in Newark, New Jersey to Frank and Alice Eberhardt. She lived her early years mostly in South Orange, but spent summers from the time she was two at “Stonybrook,” her family’s beloved property in Chester, NJ. After graduating from junior college in Boston, she went on to work at Orange Memorial Hospital. In 1940 she married Edwin DeVore. They began raising a family in Mendham and soon moved to Stonybrook where she was fortunate to live out most of her life. Nurturing her family and creating a home where everyone felt welcome were most important to Kitty. The woods and brook surrounding her home were her sanctuary. She raised her children and grandchildren to love and respect nature and to find peace in it. She cherished her family and friends and always had a cup of tea ready in the afternoon to sit and chat. A favorite evening ritual was to toast, “Happy days!” with a glass of wine in hand. As her children grew, Kitty devoted much of her time as a volunteer. She and her husband were Charter members of the Mendham Township First Aid Squad. She also loved volunteering at Morristown Medical Center and the Calais School. Katherine was predeceased by her beloved husband of 61 years Edwin, her sister Margaret “Peg” Walsh, her great-grandson Kurt Klause, and her daughter-in-law Anita DeVore. She is survived by her four children, Mary Olsson and husband Carl of New Rochelle, NY, Betty Klause and husband Klaus of Alamogordo, NM, Stephen DeVore and wife Kathleen of Chester, NJ, and Ellen Shaw and husband Bill of Mendham, NJ; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; and many treasured nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held Wednesday, May 27, from 6-8 PM at Bailey Funeral Home in Mendham, NJ. The funeral service will be Thursday at 11 AM. Baileyfuneralhomes.com In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Smile Train, PO Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231 or the Mendham Township First Aid Squad, PO Box 122, Brookside, NJ 07926.