“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” (Vickie Corona, 1989).

When LaMoine DeVries took his final, peaceful breath just past midnight on October 8, it came at the end of a week of labored breathing – where breaths per minute could be counted on one hand. In spite of respiration becoming a chore, LaMoine’s life had been full of “breath-taking” moments.

His beginnings were humble. Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Illinois, LaMoine learned the value of hard work and perseverance. While he often joked about playing ball for the Mt. Olive Cardinals, his youth was spent doing the hard work of farm boys. Days stretched from dawn til dusk with rare moments of rest and relaxation. Milking, feeding, planting, harvesting, sweating, toiling were all part of the daily routine, but in spite of his love for the land and his devotion to his parents, LaMoine’s life had a calling beyond the farm. In August, 1959, LaMoine married his high school sweetheart, Mary Ann and they embarked on the journey that would alter the course of their lives together.

LaMoine started his higher education journey at Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Missouri, where he earned his first degree. By the time he was finished, he held degrees from there, Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. With two Masters’ Degrees and a PhD and experience pastoring multiple small churches, he was ready to embark on his career. In addition to earning experience and an education, the family grew during this time as well. Jeff and Mike both arrived during the family’s time in Louisville. How LaMoine managed to complete his course-work in Biblical Archeology, Hebrew, Old Testament Literature, and Old Testament Theology, a thesis titled “David’s Conquest of Jebus,” and a dissertation titled “Incense Altars from the Period of the Judges and Their Significance” with those two underfoot, surely proves this was part of a divine plan for his life.

After the family’s time in Louisville, they moved to Warrensburg, Missouri, where LaMoine started working as a professor at Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri) and served as Campus Minister at the Baptist Student Union. In 1979, he accepted a position at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) as a professor and as Campus Minister at the Baptist Student Union.

To say LaMoine’s passion was found on a college campus is an understatement. While he had been an outstanding student, he flourished as a professor and campus minister. As a teacher, he combined his expertise with a compassionate desire to help his students reach their highest potential. While some might have rolled their eyes at his required office-hours visit during the first days of the semester, it did not take long for students to discover he wanted to invest in their lives by becoming a trusted confidant, a wise mentor, and a loyal friend. By hosting backyard BBQ’s each semester for each class, he sent the message loud and clear that he wanted to invite his students to do more than simply pass through his class; he wanted to share life together. Through his work as a Campus Minister, he was able to invest in the spiritual lives of college students. Countless trips to Student Conventions at Glorieta, Ridgecrest, and Windermere allowed him to interact on a personal level and share his faith. He loved taking students on Mission Trips to allow them to put faith into action. And no matter where he traveled with students, there was one guarantee: There would be a stop for pie and coffee – at least once.

One of the highlights of his career was working with his Archeology students by allowing them to participate in on-going excavations in Banis, Israel. Nothing excited him more than talking about the former worship site of the Greek god, Pan, the New Testament site of Cesarrea Philippi. Taking students this place to excavate Temple of Herod the Great surely must have created as much work as those days back on the dairy farm. Managing a group of college students in a foreign country, on a sacred site, using excavating tools to unearth ancient treasures must have been daunting. But to LaMoine, it was living the dream. He relished the time spent with guides, local families, and the students. He was heartbroken by the constant violence that plagued the beloved Holy Land. In his very full life, one of his few regrets was that he never shared a meal with his sons in Israel.

While it would be easy to say his work occupied his life, nothing could be further from the truth. He loved golfing, fishing, gardening. His yearly crop of zucchini and tomatoes could have supplied a farmer’s market; he babied grape vines and raspberry bushes until they flourished; he coaxed trout out of Bennett Springs at the first whistle before the coffee was cold.

Family was the center of LaMoine’s life. He and Mary Ann, his high school sweetheart, began their journey as two young kids unsure of where life’s road would lead them. With faith in God and each other, they made a life together far beyond their wildest teenage dreams. From moves across the country and back, to traveling around the world, to raising two feisty boys into honorable men, they stood together through life’s mountains and valleys. Through illness and loss, celebration and joy, they were more than life partners. They found joy in their sons, their wives, and especially their four granddaughters, Kelsey, Hannah, Madi, and Haley. No one knows for sure how many “granddaughter pictures” were snuck into slide shows for class lectures or church presentations. In many ways, he was the perfect Pampa: funny, playful, encouraging, and always attentive. In June of 2016, little Lucy Ann, his great granddaughter was born. During his last year, LaMoine would always say “Good Morning, Lucy” to Lucy’s picture hanging on their door as he was on the way to the dining room.

Twenty-four years ago, LaMoine was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. And while it was a difficult diagnosis, it did not dampen his spirit. It slowed him down, and it frustrated him, but LaMoine was a farm boy first, and as a farm boy, he knew the meaning of hard work. If hard work could have cured Parkinson’s Disease, LaMoine would have beaten the diagnosis ages ago, but unfortunately, there is no cure. The last few years of his life seemed defined by the disease, but he would not want to be remembered in his weakness or pain. Instead, he would rather us remember him as a vibrant life-force who always wanted to be on the move, who loved striking up conversations with restaurant servers, who painstakingly restored antiques, who carefully created works of art with wood. He was a man who loved learning, loved teaching, and loved investing in the lives of others. He would want us to remember that he accomplished things he never imagined possible when he was a young man. He would want us to remember the impact he had on countless students. He would want us to remember his faith in God, his devotion to his wife, and his love for his sons and their families. He would want us to remember that his life was full of moments that took his breath away, and he would want us to live lives of faith, devotion, and love.



Visitation will be held from 9:00-11:00 AM Saturday, October 14, 2017 at Greenlawn Funeral Home East, 3540 E. Seminole, Springfield, MO with services following at 11:00 AM with Reverend Ryan Palmer officiating.
Burial will follow at Rivermonte Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Missouri State University Foundation- DeVries Family Religious Studies Scholarship, 300 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 100, Springfield, MO 65806.

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