Mendham First Aid Charter Member, Great-Great Grandmother Dies at 98

Katherine “Kitty” DeVore was the consummate family woman, volunteer, and community member.

The longtime Chester and Mendham resident died recently at the age of 98.

DeVore was born in February 1917 in Newark, New Jersey and lived her early years in South Orange. From the age of two, she spent summers at “Stonybrook,” the family’s property in Chester.

In 1940, DeVore married her husband, Edwin, and they began raising a family in Mendham, later moving to Stonybrook where she lived out most of her life.

The woods and brook surrounding her beloved home were DeVore’s sanctuary. It is where she raised children and grandchildren to love and respect nature and find peace in it.

When her children grew older, DeVore devoted much of her time as a volunteer. Both DeVore and her husband became charter members of the Mendham Township First Aid Squad, and she spent more of her volunteer time at Morristown Medical Center and the Calais School.

DeVore was predeceased by her husband of 61 years; a sister; great-grandson; and daughter-in-law. She is survived by four children; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Visitiation will be held at Bailey Funeral Home in Mendham from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Smile Train, P.O. Box 96231, Washington, DC, 20090-6231, or the Mendham Township First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 122, Brookside, NJ 07926.