DeVoe, Hollis D.

Hollis D. DeVoe, 82, of Oelwein, Iowa died on Saturday afternoon, March 27, 2010 at Mercy Hospital of Franciscan Sisters in Oelwein.

Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Christ United Presbyterian Church in Oelwein with Rev. Charis Combs-Lay officiating. Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein and after 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Interment: Floral Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery, rural Oelwein, with graveside military rites by the Ross Reid American Legion Post #9.

A memorial fund has been established in his name.

An online obituary is available at

Hollis is survived by a daughter, Mary (Roger) Wetlaufer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; four sons, Mark (Kelly) DeVoe of Sumner, Iowa, Mike (Wendy) DeVoe of Birmingham, Ala., Mel DeVoe of Birmingham, Ala., and Marvin DeVoe of Fayetteville, Texas; 9 grandchildren, Valerie Wetlaufer, Colin (Tamara) Wetlaufer, Amanda DeVoe, Kyle DeVoe, Robert DeVoe, Ryan DeVoe, Meghann DeVoe, Sydney DeVoe, and Riley DeVoe; two sisters, Joan (Truman) Selck and Colletta Wuetrich, both of Monroe, Wis.; and a brother, Robert (Norma) DeVoe of Monroe, Wis.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Esther Janice DeVoe, who died on July 10, 1999.

Hollis Duane DeVoe was born on November 30, 1927 at Mount Pleasant, Wis., the son of Charles and Florence (Kessler) DeVoe. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corp, and was a air traffic controller in Berlin, Germany.

Hollis married Esther Janice Coppernoll on April 2, 1954 in Dubuque, Iowa. They lived throughout the United States as Hollis was a farm manager for different companies.

Hollis and Esther moved to Oelwein on December 23, 1970. He was a member of Christ United Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder and was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star. Hollis was active in Fayette County Republican politics.