Geoffrey Richard De Vos

Geoffrey Richard "Rick" De Vos

August 26, 1948-December 30, 2020

Rick De Vos passed away on December 30, 2020. He was preceded in death by his father, Wilbur De Vos. He is survived by his Mother, Annette De Vos, his son Brent De Vos and Brent’s partner Katie Nguyen, son Eric and daughter-in-law Ashley De Vos and baby granddaughter Ivy, his daughter Alexis De Vos, sister Catherine De Vos and nephew and niece Michael and Molly Niemuth.

Rick grew up in Saint Louis and attended Mehlville High School. Soon after graduation in 1966 he joined the Air Force and served until 1970. His Air Force experience included a tour of duty in Vietnam. After the war he settled in Tucson, Arizona and worked for Kawasaki Motorcycles while attending the University of Arizona. He graduated with honors receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree earning double majors in Psychology and Sociology.

Rick met his first wife Barbara Bellitti De Vos at the University of Arizona. They moved back to her home state to marry in 1976, and there they established a very successful bicycle business in Long Island, New York. They had their two children Brent and Eric while living in Locust Valley, New York.

Rick married his second wife Danya Singer De Vos in 1992 and together they had Alexis De Vos while living in Long Island.

Rick's other major employer in New York was the Iron Horse Bicycle Company where he was a successful bicycle salesman selling bicycles and equipment throughout the North East.

In 2000 Rick moved out west to Oakland, CA to live with his sister and her children for a couple of years before settling in Daly City, CA. There he worked as a successful window and door salesman for Collier Warehouse until his retirement in 2019.

Rick was a loving, kindhearted, sensitive and affectionate gentleman. In his younger years he was very athletic and a bit of a daredevil, enjoying motorcycles and bicycling, roller skating and hiking. He loved all types of music, and strongly supported his children, sister, niece and nephew in all of their musical endeavors as an avid concert attendee. Rick was also a voluminous reader and was brilliant at crossword puzzles and Jeopardy. He enjoyed dining out and going to museums and to the movies. Rick was extremely patriotic and believed fervently in America and Democracy. In his final year during his Covid Isolation, he became devoted to meditation and practiced this discipline for hours each day.

Rick is being interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri. We love and miss you dearest son, father, brother and uncle.

Following are memories from his family:

Memories from Son Brent

Dad ran a successful Bike Store on Long Island NY for 15 years.

Dad loved outdoor activities such as biking, rollerblading, skiing, hiking and the beach.

As young children, Dad would take us out for rides on a bike with a child seat attached in the back. Some of my earliest memories are from Dad taking me around on that bike.

We used to play lots of games together, like video games, various board games and outdoor fun like football, frisbee and wiffleball. We enjoyed the outdoor activities in his backyards, on a quiet street or especially at the beach. We loved going to the beach together and had a great time riding the waves in. He would help us construct pretty impressive sand castles! We also loved to dig holes as deep as we could and bury ourselves and Dad was usually the main digger.

One of my first pets was a Hamster that Dad got for us. Her name was Tricksey and I have fond memories of taking her out of her little home and putting her in the hamster ball and she would just run around the house while we were all hanging out.

I have fond memories of listening to music with my Dad. He would pick me up on weekends with his red Porsche and play his favorite tunes of the time. Some of my most frequent requests for him to play for me were:

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax (original version)

Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU

Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London (Dad loved making the howling noise along with the song, often followed by laughter from himself and occasionally me).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qae25976UgA

Pink Floyd - Another Brick The Wall, Darkside of the Moon, Money, Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRH-URpgZrM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EzURpTF5c8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpbbuaIA3Ds

He loved all things Jimmy Hendrix and often would tell me how he is still the best guitarist of all time.

We definitely connected over music during my childhood and he laid the groundwork for my becoming a music nut.

Dad was always very kind to my serious girlfriends, but especially Katie. Katie got to meet him at Eric's wedding and we all had a nice brunch together. And after the wedding, Katie, me, Dad and Aunt Cathy went out to dinner at Traif, which was a Tapas place that Dad liked so much on his previous visit, that he requested we return to this time. That evening was the final time I saw him in person, but we had many nice phone calls over the next couple years. I last spoke with Dad on December 24th 2020 and we spoke for 2 hours and 45 minutes, probably in our top 3 of longest phone conversations ever.

Memories from Son Eric:

Dad was often at his happiest when he was on wheels - motorcycles, bikes, cars, rollerblades - anything that moved him fast through the world, presenting him with excitement and risk. He picked up his fair share of bruises along the way but was never deterred.

He was playful, loved to play games and could make anything into a game. Salt and pepper shakers and sugar packets at Bayville Luncheonette transformed into a soccer field, two goals and a ball with our fingers as star players. Saturday night "Parcheesi," "Uno," and "Sorry" were a tradition growing up and how we spent many hours together

Dad loved the beach and the ocean, living no further than a mile from the east (NY) and west (California) shores of the US nearly all his adult life. On warm summer Sundays it was straight to Jones Beach. The waves were our enemy to overcome, the ocean depth a challenge to our young resolve. He helped and pushed us to fight both.

He was intelligent and thoughtful. He loved to read, had strong opinions and wasn't shy about sharing them

He was a hard worker and someone who knew what sacrifice meant - both as a veteran and a civilian.

Dad loved his family and was proud of his children. He welcomed and loved the recent additions to the DeVos family - my wife Ashley and my daughter Ivy. He was thrilled to have become a grandfather.

Memories from Daughter Alexis

“Oh dad, where do I begin? I remember every weekend spent with you, Eric, and Brent. I remember finding the rotten egg from an Easter egg hunt months down the line, balancing on the bike in the garage. I remember running around singing Purple Rain in your sunglasses and inflatable guitar. I have every birthday and Christmas card you’ve ever sent, never missing a single holiday. I remember every summer in California, all the things we would go do and sights we would go see. You did everything in your power to make sure it was always the best summer ever for me as a kid. I have so many fond memories, I wish I could share them all. I’m honored to be able to have shared them with you. Thank you dad, for everything from birth until now. I am eternally grateful for you. I love you. -Lex”

Memories from Nephew Michael

Rick was always present, supporting Molly and myself, helping our growth. I remember Rick moved in with us when I was 6. Being that young, I was mostly running about making a mess, but Rick was always patient and caring, gentle. I called him Uncie and he called me Pickle. As I got older, Rick became a source of knowledge: he was very good at jeopardy, and always managed to stay current with pop culture and music. He’d beat me at Scrabble. He supported the sciences, and I remember he bought me a microscope for my birthday one year, among other science-y toys. He always encouraged our education and was audience to graduations and our concerts. He also loved nature, I remember trips to Ocean Beach, flying kites, and hiking at Land’s End. He loved San Francisco, and while I know he probably loved New York more, I came to equate SF with his home. I remember walking the Embarcadero, going to Giant’s games, and dining at fancy restaurants. He did like to eat well. Rick had a taste for adventure and would always share his lifetime of stories over the dinner table. He was well loved and a hit at any party. I miss you Uncie.

Memories from Niece Molly

When I look back on my childhood, you are a part of many of my happiest memories Uncle Rick. I remember so vividly goofing around and playing for what seemed like hours with you. You taught me that anything could be turned into a game with just a little creativity and imagination. You nurtured that creativity by being endlessly supportive. You showed up to all of our concerts, and I can still hear your insanely loud whistles from the audience--the one you tried to teach me how to do, but I could never quite master. I remember watching Jeopardy with you, and wondering how someone could know so much about everything. You should have auditioned and won thousands. Thank you for always being there, for loving us so unconditionally, and for being the greatest uncle. I love you and miss you so much, Uncie.

Memories from Sister Cathy

My mother often recounted the story of Rick as a small child singing "She had Kisses Sweeter than Wine" perfectly and in a charming voice, to their various friends. He always adored music! I must have been only seven or eight and Rick thirteen or fourteen, when Rick began collecting "45" records. He would be so excited when he bought a new one, and he would always come to me exclaiming, "listen to this one listen to this!," and we would share the new song together on one of those oldtime record players. Rick had a great influence on my own love of music and inspired my career as a musician. When he moved to California he supported me by coming to all of my orchestra concerts, and my children's and students' performances. He was my biggest fan. I love him and miss him so much.