Surrounded in his home by his loving family, Jan Cornell DeVries, age 81, went to be with his Lord on Saturday evening, April 1st, 2023 following a courageous battle with cancer. Jan was born in 1942 to Jacob and Jeanette (Doezema) DeVries. In 1962, after serving in the army, Jan married Patricia Ten Elshof who has been the love of his life since Junior High School. They enjoyed 60 wonderful years of marriage. Jan was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Jim and Jack, sisters-in-law Greta Pontus, and Sharon Nawrocki. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Patricia, and children: Debbie and Kirk Holthouse, Dave and Judee DeVries, Dawn and Steve Pastoor; grandchildren: Mitchell Holthouse and Megan Miller, Carter and Nikita Holthouse, Brianna and Clint Loney, Aly and Grant DenBesten, Lexi and Jon Wilcox, Caleb DeVries, Kaity and David Urena, Jake and Lydia Pastoor, Josh and Joe Pastoor; and 6 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Marian DeVries, Leo Nawrocki, Gene and Peg Kars, Jim and Grace TenElshof, Jerry and Marcia Mulder, and many nieces and nephews.

Jan enjoyed golf, traveling, tinkering on various wood-working projects, and meeting his buddies for breakfast at Russ.' He was a man with a strong work ethic who always needed to be busy doing something. He felt very blessed when that work ethic provided him with the opportunity to become a successful business owner of two companies. He owned Midway Plumbing Supply in Grand Rapids, and Bell Pipe and Supply in Three Rivers. Jan had a special lifelong love for music- singing in a barbershop quartet; as a soloist; and as a dedicated church choir member. Jan loved using music to share the gospel message, and he also shared the gospel as a Gideon for many years. Everyone who knew Jan knew that his favorite thing to do was spend time with his family- whether it was relaxing at the lake, golfing, playing countless hours of Euchre, traveling, or sharing humorous stories. It didn't matter if it was a holiday or an ordinary day, he was happiest when surrounded by his dear wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends may meet with the family from 5-8pm on Monday, April 10, at Zaagman Memorial Chapel, 2800 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids. The funeral service will take place on Tuesday, April 11 at 11:00 am at Seventh Reformed Church, with one hour of visitation from 10-11am, prior to the service. The service will be livestreamed at 7thref.org Memorial contributions may be made to the Gideons International, PO Box 97251, Washington, D.C., 20090-7251 or a Christian school of your choice.