Celebration of the life of Mrs. Janet DeVries

Obituary

Janet DeVries, a longtime resident of Orange County, died after a long illness at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. She was 81 years.

The daughter of the late Rev. Walter and Jeanette Meyer Tolsma, she was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey on November 6, 1938. She married Henry DeVries on November 6, 1959 in Goshen, New York and celebrated 60 years together last year. 

Her life was a living example of the Bible verse of Ephesians 4:23, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” 

She treasured her children and especially enjoyed her role as a grandmother and great-grandmother. 

Janet was a gifted organ and piano player who tirelessly devoted most of her Sundays not to the church pew, but to the organ bench.  She was a woman of faith and heart of our family. She shaped our spirituality by her tireless Christian example. Her godliness led many to the Lord. 

Janet enjoyed nurturing her family and friends and always welcomed everyone into her home.  She was a lover of God’s creation and enjoyed walks in His nature and loved bringing that nature to life with her beautiful centerpiece creations and Christmas decorations. She loved taking care of the smallest feathered creatures always making sure the feeders were full, especially the Cardinal which held special meaning to her. 

She taught us what it means to be a Godly wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

She is survived by her loving husband Henry, at home, her children; Douglas (Darlene) of Ann Arbor, MI, Steven (Victoria) of Johnson, NY, Duane (Lisa) of Slate Hill, NY, Christy Fritzsch (Timothy) of Slate Hill, NY, her sisters; Gertrude Mulder (Arthur), Carol Geels (Donald), Sharon Beetham (Roy) and 15 grandchildren; Amelia, Colleen, Kyle, Leanne, Dale, Scott, Dennis, Sarah, Danielle, Micah, Nicole, Luke, Jessica, Lauren and Allison and 3 great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her parents, a brother, Bernard Tolsma and their daughter Dawn. 

Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 20th from 1-4 pm and 6-8 pm at the Goshen Christian Reformed Church, 2440 Rte. 17A, in Goshen. 

A Funeral Service of Remembrance will be celebrated on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 11 am with the Rev. Samuel Sutter officiating. To view the Livestream of the service please go to: www.Goshen.Church/JanetDeVries . Burial will follow in the family plot in Florida, New York.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Gideons International, PO Box 754, Middletown, New York 10940. 

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, 130 Highland Avenue, Middletown, New York 10940. 845-343-6309 

(in the mean time) you should check out this tribute to Janet. When she first started fighting cancer, she "retired" from playing the organ. We wanted to honor and thank her.