Obituary of Peter Barent Van Deventer

Peter Barent Van Deventer died on June 9, 2017, at his home in Morristown, N.J., surrounded by his family. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church, 50 Short Hills Ave., Short Hills, N.J., on Tuesday, June 13, at 11:15 a.m. Interment is at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Short Hills. Arrangments are by The Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, Maplewood, N.J. In lieu of flowers, donations to Alzeimer's Assoc. Greater NJ Chapter, 400 Morris Ave., Suite 251, Denville, N.J. 07834 would be appreciated. Peter was born on Nov. 11, 1924, in Yonkers, N.Y. He was the 12th child born to John Herbert and Isabelle (Stone) Van Deventer. In his youth, he spent his summers at Peach Lake, N.Y. Peter graduated from Yale University where he was on the swim, gymnastics and baseball teams. He received his master's of science degree from Fordham University. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War II and later served in the Naval Reserve. He believed he had a religious vocation and entered St. Joseph seminary to prepare for the priesthood. But before he took his vows, he realized that his true vocation was to marry the love of his life, Josephine "Josie" Meade, which he did in 1951. They met on a blind date arranged by his brother, Artie. Theirs was a true love story. Peter lived in Short Hills and Glen Ellyn, Ill., for many years before moving to Morristown, N.J. He also summered in Chadwick Beach Island, N.J. Pete lived life to the fullest. He loved travel, sports and was a fierce competitor and adventurer. He never turned down a challenge. Not long ago he went on a white river rafting trip with his sons down the Gauley River in West Virginia. When he was warned that it was a dangerous undertaking at his age, he simply shrugged and said, "Let's do this." Pete had a successful career at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company where he was in the foreground of selling a new technology - magnetic recording tape. Pete's true passion, however, was his family, starting with his love of Josie and their four sons. In turn they gave him 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Pete was actively involved in all the children's lives and they all loved him very much. Perhaps the best epitaph for Pete was one he wrote himself for his 50th Yale reunion. He and his classmates were asked to provide a brief summary of their accomplishments post graduation. The resulting album was full of stories of captains of industry, inventors, doctors, politicians, etc. Pete's entry read: "The most intelligent thing I've done since my graduation was finding and marrying the right woman. I measure my success over these many years since graduation in terms of the happiness and love generated in bearing and raising a family of four outstanding sons, four wonderful daughters-in- law, followed by 11 beautiful and healthy grandchildren compounded this happiness beyond measure. Everything else I have done or may not have done is incidental." Peter is survived by, his wife, Josephine; his four sons, Peter Jr., Kenneth, John and Paul, their wives, Susan, Kimberly, Melody and Denise; by his brother, Arthur; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. RIP Grandpa