MR JOHN DEVINE
Renfrew Mercury
August 25 1882
On Thursday last, the 20th inst., Mr. John Devine of this village, died after a few days’ illness, the complaint from which he suffered being the one – Canadian Cholera – with which so many of our citizens have been more or less severely attacked. So rapidly did all his strength fail, that many of his neighbors has scarcely heard of his illness, until they were startled to hear that he was dying. As an old settler in the neighbourhood, and for many years past a resident of the village, the intelligence was received with deep regret by a very extended circle of warmly attached friends, who esteemed him for his kindly disposition in many a generous and self-sacrificing act, without regard to his own comfort, whenever he felt able, and called upon to render any assistance in his power to those wanting it.
The deceased was born at Temple House in the county of Sligo Ireland, in the year 1829, and came to Canada, with his brother Mr. Patrick Devine, in the year 1847. His elder brother Mr. Matthew Devine having previously settled in this neighbourhood before them. He took up land in the township of Horton, near the pinnacle, and being, as a young man, possessed of great physical strength, did nearly the whole of the clearing up of his farm himself. He resided upon it continuously until some ten years ago, he came to reside in the village, joining his brother, Mr. P. Devine in the hardware business, being induced to do this, on account of failing health.
The cessation from the laborious toil of farm life appeared to be beneficial, but although still to outward appearance as hale and strong, his health again began to fail, and just about a year since he took a trip to Ireland and back in the hope of being recruited by it, but the rapidity with which he succumbed to the fatal attack proved that his constitution had been more undermined than his intimate friends had imagined. He died, as above mentioned, last Friday afternoon, and the funeral was at first intended to have taken place on Sunday, but was delayed until Tuesday, in order to allow time for his brother Matthew, and his sister Mrs. Moran, and nephew Mr. John Moran, to come from New Jersey, and his nephew Andrew, from Washington, to attend it.
Besides the relatives of the family from other parts, there was a general attendance of the many residents of the village, and many others from adjacent townships, who were present out of respect to his memory and who filled the church of St. Francis Xavier at 9 am the procession consisting of the Sanctuary boys in their usual altar costume, the officiating priest and the attending clergymen, formed at the church and proceeded to the house to remove the body according to the manner prescribed by the Roman ritual whenever practicable. The psalms of the De Profundis were recited alternately by the officiating priest, the Rev. Felix M. Devine of Ottawa, a nephew of the deceased, and the attending clergymen, Rev. Father Rougier, of Renfrew, Rev. Father Lavin of Pakenham, Rev. Father Marion of Douglas, and Rev. Father Burns, presently of Renfrew. After this the Miserere was intoned, and the funeral cortege formed to proceed to the church, which the parish priest, The Rev. Father Rougier, had caused to be appropriately draped for the occasion. The pall bearers were Mr. John Devine, of Ottawa, Mr. John J. Devine, of Renfrew, Mr. John Moran of Vineland, Mr. Andrew Devine of Washington USA, Mr. Andrew Devine of Ottawa, and Mr. Andrew Moran of Brudenell. Five of these gentlemen are nephews, and one is a cousin of the deceased. ln the church a solemn requiem mass was celebrated by the Rev. Felix M Devine, after which the Libera was sing by Rev. Father Rougier, of Renfrew. At the conclusion of the services in the church the coffin was removed to the hearse, which was waiting at the door. The funeral procession then moved slowly down the main street and across the river to the Roman Catholic Cemetery. When all was over, and the friends were about to depart, Mr. Robert Eady of Horton, an old neighbor and friend of the deceased, standing by the grave and speaking with evident emotion, made a few remarks substantially as follow. We have here committed to the dust the remains of a man who, if ever the Good Samaritan principles were carried out on earth, did his full share to exemplify them among men. He was one who, if he found a man that was robbed, wounded, and lying in the road would not pass on the other side. No he would take him up, and would dress his wounds, he would care for his wants, without any regard to either creed or country. We have been friends for the last 35 years, so that it must be acknowledged that l knew the man. For seven of those years he was one of ourselves. We shared our small luxuries and our many many hardships together, and when he married our friendship was not interrupted, but, on the contrary was more strongly cemented, for his wife was a woman imbued, with the same Samaritan principles as himself, and there was not a house in the settlement that was not benefited in some way by the thoughtfulness and kindness of them both. That wife is now left among us, a widow, to mourn her great loss. She is still with us and we can so little of her. We can speak a comforting, a consoling word, and that she will appreciate, but as for him, we can only bid him here a long long lasting adieu.