M. Dean DeVore, 84, of Hammond, IL, passed away on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at his home.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 31, 2013 at the Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 66 East US Highway 36, Atwood, IL with Rev. Linda Peyla officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, August 30, 2013 at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Hammond Cemetery, Hammond, IL.

Dean was born on May 25, 1929 in Lovington, IL, the son of M. Keith DeVore and Esther Merris DeVore. He married Betty Dodd on November 19, 1950 in Cerro Gordo, IL.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; three children, Debra DeVore Bragg, Barbara DeVore Kleiss, and David Dean DeVore; grandchildren, Lyndsay Kleiss Williams, Daniel Kane Kleiss, and Matthew William Bragg; step-grandsons Kent and Zachary England; and great-grandchildren, Addyson and Carson Williams. His two siblings, Charles DeVore and Veda Marie DeVore Huffman, also survive.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters, Ilene DeVore Colclasure and Marge DeVore Haws.

Dean served in the US Army in Germany during the Korean War and he was a member of the Lovington Masonic Lodge. He spent 40 years in farming near Hammond, IL not far from his birthplace on the family farm on Highway 36. He was a member of the Hammond United Methodist Church, and for nearly 30 years, the couple wintered in Mission, Texas where they still have many dear friends.

One of Dean's early life accomplishments was his membership on the 1945 undefeated football team for Lovington High School. He excelled at many sports and was a lifelong fan of University of Illinois. He especially enjoyed watching basketball and football, and he shared his love of Illinois sports with his family. He was an avid golfer and the winner of numerous billiard tournaments in south Texas.

Memorials are suggested to the Hammond United Methodist Church or to the American Lung Association.

Online condolences to the family may be shared via hilligossshraderfh.com