Obituary of Francis Edward Devlin

Francis Edward “Mike” Devlin November 13, 1931 – January 5, 2013 Mike passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends. Born in the hard scrabble hills of Central Pennsylvania, Mike grew up and went to school in Shamokin, PA and eventually attended Penn State University. Just after high school, Mike served in the US Army as a communication technician in post World War II Germany and Austria. Mike married Rita Jean Shervanick in 1957. They started a family and Mike had a long work career in electronic microscopy. On the weekends, he tended to his rental properties. Mike’s work ethic was unparalleled. His dedication to getting a lot done and getting it done correctly was so impressive. In his spare moments, he liked to take the family rafting and camping and enjoyed a few cold beverages along the way. Mike had the ultimate set of tools and could fix anything. Upon retirement, Mike settled in Arizona but would frequently travel the country fixing everything from plumbing to relationships. Generous towards those he knew and those he hardly knew, Mike changed many lives with his gifts of time and money. His service to others was quiet, but yet profound. Mike had a unique ability to encourage people to put down their differences and see the bigger picture. He helped so many people live a better life. He also took up golf in retirement, a surprise to many because of the patience required, but he was mainly interested in hanging around in the sun with his friends. Besides, he could always identify a broken light switch or a sidewalk job that was needed by a golf partner. Dad is survived by sisters Lois Burrows and Eileen Weikel, children Mike, Jim, Jennifer, Melissa and Matt, daughters-in-law Sherri, Lynn and Kelly and son-in-law John. He was blessed with 11 beautiful grandchildren and a whole bunch of nieces and nephews. We love him immensely - he was the leader of our family and our hearts are broken in a million pieces. Our lives will never be the same. We will always miss his confidence and sense of humor. Our warm and positive memories of Dad will be the building blocks of our lives without him. A service in Mike’s memory will be held on January 12, 2013 in Portland and another service will be held in Pennsylvania, Spring 2013. Service Information