Donald B. Devoe

Donald Brown Devoe, 95, of Falmouth, ME passed away peacefully on July 30, 2015 with family at his side. Don was born on September 11, 1919 in Bangor, ME to Frances Brown and Irving Woodward Devoe. Don’s wife Muriel Elizabeth (Strout) Devoe predeceased Don in 2002, after nearly 60 years of marriage (and 84 years of friendship). Don was also predeceased by a sister, Jean (Devoe) Chapman.

Don graduated from the Bangor High School in 1937 and from the University of Maine, Orono in 1941 with a B. A. in Physics. Following the war, Don continued his studies, first earning his M.A. in Psychology in 1947 at University of Maine, Orono, and then his Ph. D. in Psychology, University of Rochester in 1952.

He enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in US Army / Air Corps (later United States Air Force) June 24, 1941. Following special training in meteorology at M.I.T., he was transferred to the 442 Bombardment Squadron where he served between 1942 and 1945 in the European and Mediterranean theatres of war, providing weather advisories to bomber crews before missions. Don received his honorable discharge from the Army on February 16, 1946 as a Captain, and continued serving in the reserves for the next thirty-three years, rising to the rank of Colonel United States Air Force before retiring on September 11, 1979.

Don’s professional career focused on the field of human factors, including human perception and problems in the area of man-machine interfaces via electronic systems. His career included positions with Air Force Human Resources Research Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Cambridge, MA, Sperry Rand Research Center, Sudbury, MA, Applied Research Laboratory, Sylvania Electronic Systems Division, Waltham, MA and Department of Transportation, Cambridge, MA. Don was the author or co-author of many publications focused on documentation of human factors information, visual displays, manual controls, and transportation safety. He was a member of many academic and professional organizations including the American Psychological Association, the Human Factors Society, the Society for Information Display, the New York Academy of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Sigma Xi.

Don was an avid photographer, artist, hiker, bird watcher, reader, trombonist, and perhaps above all, humorist. He loved to travel and loved even more being at home with friends and family.

Don and Muriel raised their family in Bangor, ME, Rochester, NY, Urbana, IL, Stoneham, MA and Sudbury, MA, retiring first to Cumberland, ME before moving to Ocean View in Falmouth, ME. Don leaves behind 4 children: Barbara Cary of Cumberland, ME, Judith Haggerty of Westminster, VT, James Devoe and his wife Maryanne Krajcik of Granby, CT, and David Devoe and his wife Frances Devoe of Walhalla, SC. A fifth child, Alan Devoe, died shortly after birth in 1952. Don leaves 9 grandchildren: Randal Cary, Pendleton, SC, Leslie (Cary) Sprague and her husband Donald Sprague, Seattle, WA, Alison (Cary) Nedzbala, Alfred, ME, Greg Cary and his wife Sara Cary, Pittsburgh, PA, Christopher Devoe, Manchester, CT, Jonathan Devoe, Manchester, CT, Christina Haggerty, Brookline, MA, Catherine Devoe Fisher and her husband Scott Fisher, New Orleans, LA, and Alden Devoe, Walhalla, SC. Don also leaves 9 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

The family welcomes you to join them at a memorial service on Friday, August 14th at 12:00 noon at the Lindquist Funeral Home in Yarmouth, Maine, with a visitation hour prior to the service at 11:00 am. Burial will be on Saturday, August 15th at 12:00 noon at Maple Grove Cemetery in Bangor, Maine, with military honors at graveside. Maple Grove Cemetery is located at the corner of Pushaw Rd and Church Rd.

Donations in lieu of flowers are welcomed and should be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 74 Gray Road, Falmouth, ME 04105

For on line condolences and additional information about Don, please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com

If Da saw me standing here, he’d probably say “Godfrey Mighty! What’s David going to say now?”

I think he’d be pleasantly surprised; awkwardly embarrassed; humbled?

Jim called a few days before Da passed. He said “He’s not eating. He’s not drinking. Time to Come.” So Alden and I flew to Portland to be with Da. To do nothing but comfort him. To share the same space. To breathe the same air.

One day I found myself alone by his beside. His hand slid down with purpose against my knee. We are not a touchy, feely crowd, so this caught me by surprise. I held his hand, rubbed his arm and said “Da, this is David. I am ok.” He always worried about me. “We are all ok and we are here for you.” I then repeated myself every few minutes to reassure him. We had not held hands since childhood. This was a treasured moment.

The next day we had to leave Portland. Da passed away the day after.

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Since then I have been very reflective. I know I needed to speak today. To share the things he gave me. Those pieces of him I carry inside me.

We just heard the Katahdin poem. Da loved Katahdin. He wrote the poem, painted it, photographed it. As a kid he climbed it several times. A favorite photo he showed me in recent years. He was around 8, 9, 10. He was standing on the Knife Edge, with his arms outstretched, balancing on one foot, wearing those 1920s laced shoes. He was still proud of this feat like it was taken yesterday.

Later when I was a child, while in Bangor on a visit, Da took a group of us to some gravelly roadside with a distant view of Katahdin. And there we stood with binoculars to get a glimpse of Katahdin like it was some rare bird.

He loved mountains. He had a bookshelf full of mountain books. The early mountaineers of the Alps. Or, as a boy he followed the expeditions of Everest in the 1920s and 30s. Later he followed the first ascent which I believe we still have a newspaper from. This was important to him.

His love of mountains was infectious. With that came reading Topographic Maps. Our basement wall was filled with Topo maps of the Metro Boston area. He taught me how to read the maps. And when driving around he’d point out the little bumps of Sudbury hills and show me on the map. Little did I know he was showing me a skill; a skill that later determined and became a central factor in my success as a geologist.

With the same sense of exploration, he loved aviation and space travel. He even had an old book from the 1920s called Wings, which is now on my bookshelf. He special ordered NASA Photos for me during the moon landings; big glossy color photos we’d share.

He also had an enthusiasm for music. Jazz with its’ syncopated beat. I heard it in the house growing up from both Mama and Da. Dixieland – his noodling on the piano.

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Most important though was his value system. I didn’t learn this through deep conversations, but by example. Sometimes by discipline. Things like Decency, Honor.

On Behavior – At a critical time in one teenager’s life he said, “Realize your behavior affects others…. INCLUDING YOUR MOTHER!” Yup, he knew how to push those buttons and why not, he installed them. It worked.

On Responsibility – When driving Mama and Alison to Portland from Massachusetts, he reminded me, “you are carrying very precious cargo – it is YOUR responsibility to get there safely.”

Honesty – I don’t believe he ever lied to me.

As a Provider – He put us 4 kids through college – No matter how long it took.

Or even this past March, when he was laid up in Bed and said “I feel like I should be getting you something” – like a good host.

About Family – With age he eventually lost most of his hearing. In a room full of family, I once asked “Do you understand?” And he said “Nope! But I do enjoy being here with everyone.”

During my visits of recent years, I took his words to heart. I’d visit him, just keeping him company with no expectations. Just sit with him, sharing the same space.

I am proud to be his son and will miss sitting, reading the paper and breathing the same air.