Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....VanDeVenne, Thomas Ellsworth 2008
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Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net August 1, 2011, 3:32 pm

The Portland Review, February 17, 2008

Thomas Ellsworth VanDeVenne, 76, formerly of Portland, died Feb. 11, 2008 at 
St. Francis Manor, Grinnell, Iowa under the care of Grinnell Regional Hospice 
after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.  Mr. VanDeVenne was born 
July 28, 1931 in rural Eaton County near Woodland to August Joseph and 
Gertrude Minerva (Souter) VanDeVenne.  

He graduated from Portland High School in 1949.  He was a veteran and served 
in the Army stationed in Italy and Africa with United Nations peacekeeping 
troops.  Mr. VanDeVenne married Jean Margaret Griffeth on July 2, 1954 in 
Middleville Baptist Church in Middleville.

Mr. VanDeVenne was a jack of all trades and master of many.  He attended 
Michigan Technical Institute, Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music, 
Grace Bible College in Omaha, Neb., Battle Creek Community College, and the 
Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology.  In his lifetime he was a printer, a 
finish carpenter, home builder and telecommunications worker.  He worked for 
four different telephone companies: Bell, GTE, ConTel, United and GTE.

He retired from GTE in 1992 where his most recent assignment was switchman 
reporting to Chariton, Iowa.  During his retirement he and his wife took a 
short mission trip to Haiti and also did volunteer work at Miracle Hills Ranch 
in Missouri and Maranatha Bible Camp in Nebraska.

Mr. VanDeVenne was preceded in death by both parents, a brother Arthur in 
infancy; his wife in 2005; and two sons, Thomas in infancy and Paul in 2003.  
He is survived by his brother Joseph VanDeVenne of Mason; his sister Marilyn 
VanDeVenne of Portland; two daughters, Liz (Craig) Koon of Grinnell, Iowa, 
Mary (Craig) Wittick of Des Moines, Iowa; a daughter-in-law, Tami (Paul) 
VanDeVenne of Chariton, Iowa; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Grinnell Christian Church, Grinnell, on 
Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1:30 p.m. with John Epperson, senior minister, and Susan 
Sanning, chaplain of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, presiding.  Mr. 
VanDeVenne will be buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in rural Lucas County.  
Memorial contributions may be made to New Tribes Missions or Grinnell Regional 
Hospice.


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