“The DeVos family has announced the death of Helen DeVos, a philanthropist and the wife of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos,” reads an unsigned obituary on Thursday (10/19) at television station WZZM 13 (Grand Rapids, MI). “Mrs. DeVos was well known as a supporter of symphony orchestras, especially … in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., through support of the Grand Rapids Symphony and the St. Cecilia Music Society. She served in numerous capacities since 1971 on the board of the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra and was an honorary board member and honorary executive board member. She and her husband were the founding sponsors of the symphony’s DeVos Quartet and Artist in Residence program, and she was a life member of the Women’s Committee…. She also was an honorary board member for the League of American Orchestras in New York City, for which she served as a board member from 1982-1992, as vice chairman of the executive board from 1985-1992 and chairman of the nominating committee from 1989-1991…. Her many awards included the Gold Baton Award from the League of American Orchestras in 2012.” Helen DeVos was the mother-in-law of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Posted October 20, 2017
