Mildred Ann DeVries

Mildred Ann DeVries, age 66, of Kalamazoo, passed away on April 2, 2026. Born on September 28, 1959, in Kalamazoo, she was the daughter of the late Nicholas Herman and Betty Jean (Brant) DeVries.

A proud graduate of Portage Central High School, Mildred was a dedicated and hard-working retiree of Western Michigan University. Her career at WMU spanned many years and departments, including groundskeeping and food services, before she retired from the custodial department.

To know Mildred was to love her. She had a unique gift for making everyone she encountered feel like a “big deal,” a sentiment that was warmly reciprocated by her family, colleagues, and friends. She was a woman of immense heart who found great joy in her family and her faithful companion, her dog Lilly.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Nicholas and Betty Jean, and her oldest son, Matthew Allen Tuinier.

Her memory will be forever cherished by her son, Marc Adam Tuinier; her four granddaughters, Madelynn Rae Hayes and her husband Jacob, Kylie Paige Tuinier, Kelsie Lynn Tuinier, and McKenzie Jean Tuinier; and her two beloved great-grandchildren, Ivy Jade Hayes and Carter David Hayes. She is also survived by her brothers, Herman DeVries and his wife Connie, and Rex DeVries; her nephews Nicholas and James DeVries; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

As her family reflects on this loss, they find strength in the love of those waiting for her on the other side. Her love continues to resonate through all who had the privilege of knowing her. May love remain in your heart; she will be present there.