Richard E. DeVies, 85, of Wellington, passed away Saturday, December 31 after a brief illness. Born April 3, 1926 at the Faus Clinic in Wellington, Richard was the son of John and Hazel DeVies. Richard graduated from Wellington High School in 1944 and was drafted into the U.S. Navy. As an aviation metal smith Richard often worked on President Truman's amphibious mail plane outside Washington, D.C. Upon being discharged from the Navy in 1946, Richard returned to childhood friend, Don Breyley's, Pittsfield Township dairy farm where he worked prior to being drafted. The farm became BeDeBe Farms Inc. which installed one of the first milking parlors in northern Ohio in the 1960's. Richard later married his high school sweetheart, Eunice Reisinger, on October 8, 1949. While serving as Pittsfield Township Trustee for 17 years, Richard joined the founding board of the Rural Lorain County Water Authority. This group led the charge to bring pressurized waterlines to rural customers who previously relied on cisterns and ponds. Richard served on the Rural Lorain Co. Water Authority board for 30 years, one term as president. Richard belonged to the Lorain County Farm Bureau and was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Wellington. Richard was an avid woodworker and enjoyed making furniture for friends and relatives. Richard retired from BeDeBe Farms Inc. in 1991. Richard especially enjoyed spending the winter months in Florida with a group of beloved friends from the area with whom he enjoyed a life long friendship with. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, John and Hazel (nee Shoemaker); and his brother, Robert, in 2001. Richard is survived by his wife, Eunice; daughter, Diane (Tom) Hinkle; sons, Douglas and Dennis; 4 grandchildren, Ryan (Heather) Hinkle, Thadd (Lisa) Hinkle, Colby Hinkle and Jourdan DeVies; and eight great grandchildren, Savannah, Riley, Aurora, Corrine, Kaitlyn, Kersten, Tristen and Landen. Visitation will be Wednesday, January 4 from 4 -7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Wellington, 127 Park Place, where funeral services will be held on Thursday at 11 a.m. with Rev. Lea Mahan officiating. Burial will follow at Pittsfield East Cemetery with military rites.