William ''Bill'' H. DeVries

DeVRIES, Mr. William H. ?Bill? Kalamazoo Went to be with the Lord Wednesday morning, November 22, 2006, in Kalamazoo. Bill was born November 4, 1914, in Grand Rapids, MI, the son of Henry B. and Tillie Eelman DeVries. Bill was a member of Westwood Christian Reformed Church. He was active in church leadership in Kalamazoo and in Florida. Bill served on the Kalamazoo Christian School Board. He worked for The Upjohn Company as a research scientist from 1939 to 1973 when he retired. Throughout his career at Upjohn he worked on the development of many antibiotics and was a recipient of The Upjohn Award. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. On May 11, 1940, Bill was united in marriage with the former Celia I. Dornbush who preceded him in death on December 2, 2003. He was also preceded in death by his son-in-law, John Westra in 1996. Surviving are: 3 daughters, Patricia Jerry Westra Pinkster of Kalamazoo, Ruth Glenn Van Beck of Kalamazoo and Marianne Don Adams of Glen Ellyn, IL; 8 grandchildren, Julie Eric Renzema of Vicksburg, Gregory Westra of Kalamazoo, Stephen Jennifer Van Beck of Indianapolis, IN, Stacey Chad Overbeek of Petoskey, Andrew Kate Van Beck of Kalamazoo, Angela Bernard Huismann of Newaygo, Eric Adams of Livingston, MT and Mark Darcy Adams of Chicago, IL; 17 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Services will be held 11:00 Monday morning at Westwood Christian Reformed Church, 620 North Hampton Road, with Pastor Bill Fernhout, officiating. Interment in Grand Prairie Cemetery will follow services and a luncheon. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 2-4 & 6-8pm at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street. The family requests memorials be directed to Pine Rest Christian Hospital or Calvin College.