NOTE: Michael went to work in the steel mill at age 17.
OBITUARY FROM REES FUNERAL HOME WEBSITE:
Michael Glen Devine, 1/14/1951 – 1/16/2025
Mike Devine was a private person. You were fortunate if you were in this circle of trust. Mike grew up on the west side of Hobart, Indiana with his parents, Thomas and Betty Devine. Tom and Betty left the planet some years ago. Also making the house a home were his six siblings. All of which are still on the planet; Terry, Cindy, DeeDee, Laura, Karen, and Ellen.
Mike followed in Tom’s footsteps and went to work in the steel mill at the age of 17. The mill has been through several different owners. Today, it’s Cleveland Cliffs in East Chicago. The five stand is where Mike spent the majority of his career. He made lifelong friends and retired after 43 years. Mike did take a break from the mill to travel to Vietnam. He volunteered to travel with the United States Army. He was impatient and didn’t want to wait around to be drafted. Mike had grown up working on motors and fit right in as a mechanic with the 1st US Army Co A 3rd BN 1st Brigade. He learned how to drive a manual transmission, accidentally shot a monkey and like many teenagers at that time, grew up very quickly.
It was in war torn Vietnam that he met his first wife. He had intended to bring her home and start a family, but the unforgiving nature of war would not allow it. She and her family perished. All he had left were a couple of pictures and a broken heart; her name now lost to time. Sgt. Devine came back to the states and spent time at Ft. Knox, KY. After fulfilling his commitment to his country, he found himself back in Northwest Indiana working in the mill and working on cars for family and friends. He met his second wife in the 70’s. They had two children, Bev and Sean, and lived many years in Portage, Indiana until they decided to part ways. Mike was living the bachelor life when in 1992, he met his third wife, Atha Brown. Mike and Atha loved to travel. They collected memories, mementos, and caricatures from their trips. They filled their many curio cabinets and walls with happy times. Mike and Atha enjoyed hosting holidays for family. The house was always festive for the Christmas season with an enormous real tree shimmering with silver tinsel. It was not big enough if it did not take up half the living room. Mike enjoyed woodworking and spending time with his wife. In 2021, Atha left the planet. It was at that time, Mike found a renewed relationship with his biological children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, time waits for no one. Cancer had invaded Mike’s body cutting short his time with them. Mike had four grandchildren, Jessica, Christopher, Caroline, and Ozzy; and great grandson, Michael Greyson. He shared a birthday with his son-in-law, Greg, who misses talking classic cars with him.
There are several people not mentioned that were in Mike’s circle of trust at one time or another. You know who you are, no need to get too wordy in the obituary. Thank you Mike Devine for sharing your knowledge of mechanics, steel mills, woodworking, love of cars, dad stuff, and your one of a kind sense of humor. You are loved and missed.
Visitation for Michael will be held Sunday, January 19, 2025, from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm at Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel, 600 West Old Ridge Road, Hobart with a funeral service at 4:00 pm. He will be laid to rest privately at Graceland Cemetery. For more information, please call (219) 942-2109. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.reesfuneralhomes.com.
This information and the picture below were obtained from: https://www.reesfuneralhomes.com/obituary/michael-devine. The picture above was obtained from the 1967 HHS Memories yearbook (when Michael was a sophomore), made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1967Images/.
