Waukegan "pastor for the people" turns 100

In all his years of ministering, the Rev. W. Gehl Devore stuck to a philosophy and practice that endeared him to the community.

A friend to many, Devore is known for making the rounds of local hospitals, nursing homes and other locations to visit and comfort parishioners and their families.

"More than anything else, he had an emphasis on being a pastor for the people and personal contact," said Doug Stiles, historian for First United Methodist Church of Waukegan.

"His motto was, 'Love the people. Show it and mean it.' He always said that," Stiles said.

Devore retired in 1980 after 17 years at that church but stayed in town and remains pastor emeritus as he enters his second century, turning 100 on Sunday.

"I never even questioned it," Devore said of his longevity. "I thought I'd stay around until I got the job done."

A healthy lifestyle, faith in the Lord and his mother's support were other factors, according to his son, Bill Devore.

A church service at 10 a.m. will be followed by a public birthday celebration at the church, 128 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. A turnout of about 150 friends, family and well wishers, including Doris, his wife of 76 years, is expected.

The couple grew up and lived near Altamont, a tiny town along Interstate 70 in central Illinois midway between St. Louis and Terre Haute, Indiana. Doris was the daughter of the local minister and Gehl was active in the church. But he wasn't immediately drawn to serve.

For eight years after high school, he delivered newspapers and worked as a shoeshine boy, a printer's helper and Linotype operator.

"He said he had a call from God," Bill Devore said.

Gehl Devore doesn't remember that exact moment but recalled seeing a future with the church.

"I heard somebody preaching and said, 'I can do that,'" he said this week.

He attended McKendree College (now McKendree University) near home in Lebanon, Illinois. While a student there, Devore served a "four point circuit" for the Methodist Church, visiting two small towns near Vandalia on alternate Sundays. His pay was dinners provided by local families.

Devore received his master of divinity degree from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, a graduate school of theology of The United Methodist Church, in Evanston. His first stop was in Westmont and lasted 12 years beginning in 1944. From 1956 to 1961, he was the head pastor in Rockford. He also served in Barrington from 1961 to 1963 before moving to Waukegan.

"He became a part of this community from 1963 on. That is really unusual," Stiles said.

Membership and attendance dropped during the social unrest of the 1960s and '70s, but under Devore's leadership, the debt for the education building was paid and a complete renovation of the sanctuary completed, according to a church history.

During his stay in Waukegan, Devore performed 665 baptisms, 951 marriages and a similar number of funerals. After retirement, he served as chaplain to the Waukegan City Council and was honored in the late 1990s for his service to the community. He remained active until just the past few years.

"He was a pretty amazing guy," said Mary Maxwell, the church office administrator.