John Edward DeVany, 83, of Cape Coral, Florida passed away peacefully on January 9, 2021, under hospice care, after several months of declining health.

He was born and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he lived until he joined the U.S. Army. He proudly served our country working as a radio-teletype operator. During his service he traveled to many places, his favorite of which was Hawaii, where he stayed for a period after being honorably discharged.

John loved working with his hands and found work in the trades when he returned to Waltham.  He initially worked as a glass cutter and installer. He later branched out into painting and had a successful painting and wallpaper business for over 30 years.

He loved the warm, sunny weather of Florida and eventually moved to Cape Coral with his daughter, Sharon.  His favorite pastime was golf, and he would play with his golf buddies whenever he could. Every fall, as soon as football season rolled around, on weekends you could find him glued to the TV when his Patriots were playing.

John took fashion cues from no one. His signature everyday look was all his: a perfectly pressed button-down shirt (usually plaid), one of fifty pairs of tan cargo shorts (who knew there were so many different shades of tan…?), chunky brown walking shoes (because they were comfortable) and white tube socks. All topped off with one of his limitless supply of white trucker-style baseball caps (mostly freebies) that he had meticulously and carefully stacked and stored in every closet of the house.

He liked to shop at Costco, which was also one of his favorite lunch spots, going up and down the aisles, trying all of the free samples and sometimes going back for seconds.  Cooking was not his forte, but if asked, he would not shy away from sharing his culinary opinion. Steaks, or any kind of meat, should be burnt beyond recognition. You should ask his daughter Sharon to tell you the meatloaf story. If you have not already heard it, it is a good one! There is no amount of ketchup in the world that could help his meatloaf.

He was the best dad a girl could ever ask for. John was a strong-willed, dedicated, single father who raised his daughter with an emphasis on the importance of hard work and values. John probably felt that his retirement would be quiet and uneventful. But his whole world changed the day he became “Grampa”. He was completely in love with his twin grandchildren, Carly and Chase. From the day they were born, John always made an effort to be a part of their lives. He cherished spending time with them, and when they were babies he always had one of them in his arms and spent as much time with them as he possibly could. From him, they learned the love of football (the Patriots, of course). He always brought some kind of treats to share when he visited and they adored their “Grandpa.” John enjoyed watching Unsolved Mysteries or whatever cops shows were on TV at the time, especially while indulging his unwavering passion for all things chocolate.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Ariel (Greer) DeVany, his sisters, Barbara Redfern, Elizabeth (Betty) Robinson, Janice Robichard, and his brother Rodney DeVany.

He is survived by his daughter Sharon (Wayde) Seidensticker, grandchildren Carly and Chase, his sisters, Margaret Green (Marlborough, MA) and Eleanor Kelley (Kingston, NH).

A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Avow Hospice of Naples via their website: https://avowcares.org/donate-now/ or by mail: Avow Hospice, Attn: Foundation, 1095 Whippoorwill Lane, Naples, FL 34105