Bob and his wife Bev met, appropriately, in a food supermarket. Their love and marriage lasted more than their 62 years of marriage. As a true Florida boy, Bob came to Naples in 1962 to manage and cut the ribbon for the first Publix in Naples. Fifty years later he was honored again to cut the opening ribbon when the store was rebuilt. Bob retired in 1985 and ended his career having been retired longer than he worked. His love of Publix was well-known and he was jokingly accused of having Publix-green blood. He was grateful for his career, and for the opportunities provided by Publix Supermarkets, Inc. He was a good man, who loved his country, and the state of Florida.
He and his wife enjoyed twenty-five consecutive summers of driving roundtrip to Alaska to salmon fish. He had the joy knowing he had driven half-million miles on those Alaska trips. On some of his other trips they visited every US state, all the Canadian provinces as well as traveling to over five continents.
Bob greatly enjoyed the outdoors, hunting from his cabin in the Everglades to his “tree farm escape” in Jennings, Florida and a life-long passion for fishing. He designed and built his present home dubbed as ‘The House that Bob Built’. Bob had many tools and continued to conjure innovative projects until the end of his life.
He had a great love of family. He was known as “Pappy” to his Grands and Great-Grands. It was precious when James, great-grandson, learned at pre-school to recite: “P-A-P-P-Y, that spells Pappy guy!”
He is survived by his wife, Beverly Bodin DeVille. Three sons; Kenneth DeVille of Greenville, NC, Phillip DeVille (Marabeth) and Troy DeVille. Three Daughters; Robyn DeVille, Monica Dickerson (Dennis) and Colette Collins of Hampton, GA. He had 17 grandchildren, plus “forever-nine” Zane (1994-2003) and
15 great-grand ones. Three sisters; Mary J. Van Orsdale of Bartow, FL, June Futch (Jim) of Lake Panasoffkee, FL and Betty Bainbridge of Ft. Myers.
Bob was a long-time parishioner of St. Ann’s, St. Williams and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church as Naples grew north.
Visitation 1-5p.m. Sunday, October 2, 2016 at Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens, 525 111th Ave. N., Naples, FL 34108
A funeral mass will take place at 10a.m. on Monday, October 3, 2016 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 625 111th Ave. N.
Cremation will take place after services and cremated remains will be interred privately at a later date.
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