Violet Marie Devries

Sibley, Iowa Violet DeVries, age 80 of Sibley, IA, formerly of Rushmore, MN, died Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at Sibley Specialty Care in Sibley, IA, surrounded by family. Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 7th at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Sibley, IA, with Pastor Terry Simm officiating. The DeVries family will receive family and friends Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at Jurrens Funeral Home of Sibley. Violet Marie DeVries was born October 7, 1935 near Garvin, MN, to the late Luther and Emma (Schaeffer) Griffith. Violet was raised on a family farm and attended country school and graduated from Tracy High School in 1953. She married Dudley Curtiss Thorson in 1959 at the Little Brown Church, Nashua, IA. Together they lived in Tracy, MN. From that union, two children were born, Alan and Joni. In 1967, she remarried Russell James DeVries and with this marriage came the addition of Dale, Diane and Roger. Born to this union were Lisa and Lora. Russell and Violet farmed for many years, near Rushmore, until his death in November of 1982. She provided daycare services to many families in the Rushmore areas. Violet is survived by her children, Dale DeVries (Linda), Diane Ewy, Roger DeVries (Robin), Alan Thorson (Nisveta), Joni Benson (Dan), Lisa DeVries, and Lora Billings (Jason). Violet's grandchildren include, Stacey Sailor, Heidi Ewy, Ryan DeVries, Jenny Mauney, Anel Memic, Elma Gul, Tyler, Tara, and Tiffany Harberts, Tyler Benson, Amber and Erika DeVries, and Emily Billings, along with sixteen great-grandchildren, sister, Marilyn Holm, and special friend, Lori Schutte, and other extended family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell, a grandson, Derek James, and two sisters, Ardell Gordon, Lorraine Averill, and two special dogs, Scooter and Griffy. Violet will be remembered as a strong-willed woman, who cared for others, up until the end of her life.