Eugene C. Devine, 79, husband of Wilda Loveday Devine, of North Guilford passed away in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on February 9, 2008.
He was born in Hamden, Connecticut in 1929 to Vincent and Beatrice (Benham) Devine. He graduated from Hamden High School in 1946 and from Central Connecticut State Teachers College in 1950, after which he did a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Eugene worked at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford as an engineer for 32 years.
Eugene met his wife of 54 years on a hike with the New Haven Hiking Club in 1951. In addition to the activities required for the raising of their four children, Gene and Wilda were active in community theater and different choral groups.
In 1984, Gene and Wilda began their retirement by moving to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, where together they designed and built their vacation home. While there, they were members of the St. John Historical Society, Friends of the V.I. National Park, and the St. John Singers. Spending half the year in the Caribbean and half the year on Lake Quonnipaug, they still had time to travel the world.
Eugene is survived by his wife and their children and grandchildren: Pat (partner Marty Sellers) of North Grosvenordale, CT; David (wife Cindy, his children Joshua, Todd, Erin and Elizabeth); Laurie (husband Martin Castonguay, children Emilie, Alexandre and Francois) of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada; and Mark (wife Elizabeth, children Amy and John Burdeshaw and Daniel) of Durham, CT, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Vincent and Daniel and his granddaughter Heather.
A memorial service will be hosted at the North Guilford Congregational Church on Saturday, March 22, at 11 a.m. The interment at the Bluff Head Cemetery will be private. Donations may be made in his memory to the Friends of the V.I. National Park or to a charity of one’s choice.
