Iris Miller DeVore

Born in Greenwood, SC on February 4th, 1929 to Madge Verdie Templeton Miller and William Harrell Miller, Iris grew up around Greenwood, SC.

Iris married Fred William DeVore Jr. in 1952. In 1965, Iris and Fred moved to Matthews where they raised their three children Fred, Wanda, and John.

Her family joined Matthews United Methodist Church shortly after moving to Matthews. She was very involved in her church until the day she passed. She started the church library and was on the construction committee that help design and build the current church campus.

She was a charter member of the Matthews Human Services Council for 20 years where she helped non-profit organizations identify and address the needs throughout the greater Matthews community.

In 1972 she founded the Happy Times Club, a program dedicated to providing social and emotional venues for seniors to meet, socialize, laugh, and worship.

In 1975, she established the “Melody Makers Senior Choir” - a group of people who visited older and disabled adults to sing and offer words of encouragement. In 1977, she co-founded a program to help the less fortunate in her community that would become the “Matthews Help Center”, whose mission is to provide short-term crisis assistance to the Matthews community.

In 1999, at age 70, she started advocating for a building dedicated specifically to seniors. And in 2006, that dream became a reality when The Levine Senior Center opened. In Iris’ honor the road to the center was named DeVore Lane. She was always grateful to the Levine family for their support of this dream.

In 1979, she was awarded the Woodmen of The World Outstanding Citizen Award. In 1985, the Town of Matthews named her Woman of the Year. Ten years later she was awarded the Matthews-Mint Hill Rotary Club Distinguished Citizen Award for her personal involvement and dedicated efforts in making Matthews a better place to live and work.

In 2003, WSOC-TV and Our Family Focus Partners recognized Iris DeVore as one of the 2003 “Nine Who Care” Nominees. In 2014, she was awarded the Woodmen of The World Community Leadership Award. In 2015, Iris received the Nancy Glenn Community Servant Award, which is granted annually to an individual in the community who has given their time and talents to making a better community. In 2018, she was honored with the Blessed Assurance Adult Daycare Service Award. In that same year, she was one of the Grand Marshals for the 2018 Matthews Alive Parade. In 2019, she was one of the recipients of the Matthews Help Center Founder Award.

With every award and recognition, she humbly gave glory to God. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, who passed away in 1993. Iris is survived by her three children, Fred William DeVore III (Amy), Wanda DeVore Dellinger (Bobby), and John Harrell DeVore. She has eight grandchildren: Will DeVore (Jessica), Brian Dellinger (Allison), Julie DeVore (Anthony), Erin Hardy (Rob), Dylan DeVore (Laurel), Michael DeVore, Ethan DeVore and Stephen DeVore, three step-grandchildren: Mallory Hankins, Maggie Hankins (Nate) and Emma Hankins, and seven great-grandchildren, Hartman and Grayson DeVore, John and Jacob Dellinger, and Naomi, Bear and Will Hardy. She is also survived by her brother, John William Templeton Miller (Cleo) as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Due to health concerns, the family is planning a small, private graveside service but hope that a celebration of her life can be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be directed to either the Charlotte Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 33000, Charlotte, NC 28233, the Levine Senior Center, 1050 DeVore Lane, Matthews, NC 28105 or Matthews United Methodist Church, 801 South Trade Street, Matthews, NC 28105, Online condolences to the family can be made through McEwen Funeral Home in Mint Hill, NC. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mint-hill-nc/iris-devore-9887424