Obituary of John B. DeVries

John B. DeVries, of Ocean City and Lafayette Hill, PA died March 10, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from pneumonia and acute respiratory failure with his wife and son, Bob, by his side. He was born in Glen Ridge, NJ on October 5, 1934, the son of the late John and Mildred Storm Bool DeVries. John graduated as Valedictorian from Nutley High School in 1952 and went on to attend Cornell University on a full NROTC scholarship. He graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineer and was commissioned on graduation day an Ensign in the United States Navy. While at Cornell, he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, serving as its president 1955 - 1956 and was elected to Pros Ops, the Chemical Engineering School honorary society. In 1957, John married Roberta "Bert" (Grunert). Following their wedding, John and Bert went to live in Newport, RI where John started his tour of duty with the US Navy as Engineering Officer of the USS Turner, DDR 834. Upon his discharge from the Navy, John went to work for Rohm and Haas Chemical Company in Philadelphia in the Plastics Division where he developed new products including products for the automotive industry. He was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Society of Plastic Engineers. In 1972, he earned an MBA from Temple University. John was the founder/president of DeVries and Associates and was recognized for his expertise in the metal building industry and flame retardants business. He was instrumental in saving lives by developing new flame retardant products that resulted in a slow burn instead of a flash fire. John had a life long love of the sea. As a boy, he raced sailing canoes in North Jersey. He then graduated to racing sailboats in Barnegat Bay and eventually turned his interest to power boats and fishing. John was recognized in the "Fishing News" for catching 80 fish single handedly in one day. John enjoyed traveling world wide with his wife, duplicate bridge, the Ocean City Pops, the theater, and spending time with family and friends. He was a member of the Ocean City Yacht Club, Greate Bay Country Club, Scheible Encore Society, and the Ocean City Tuesday Senior Men's Golf League. John is survived by his wife of 56 years, Roberta (Bert) DeVries, sons Robert (Christine), and Peter, and four grandchildren, Alexandria, Taylor, Dani, and Ryan DeVries and several cousins. A celebration of John's life will be held this summer. Donations in memory of John B. DeVries may be made to Johns' newly established Graduate fellowship award at Cornell University. Contributions should be made payable to Cornell University and mailed to June Lasorda, Cornell University, 250 Carpenter Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. Please note JBDV Graduate Award on any donations. Funeral arrangements are by the Lownes Family Funeral Home of Lafayette Hill,Pa.