***PLEASE RSVP FOR THE Celebration of Life for Dennis DeVaux Tickets, Sat, May 7, 2022 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite***

East Thetford, Vermont – Dennis Andrew DeVaux was struck by a motor vehicle and died in Thetford, VT, when he was on his daily morning walk on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at the age of 65. He was born in Hanover, NH on June 4, 1956, to William John DeVaux and Lillian (Jennings) Twitchell DeVaux and lived in the Upper Valley for his entire life. He attended Norwich Elementary and Hanover High School, excelling at basketball, baseball, and the sciences. He graduated from Dartmouth College where he majored in biology and continued playing club sports. After graduating, he was involved in several men's basketball leagues and continued to enjoy recreational sports throughout his adult life. He was a fan of many professional sports and especially loved to watch and root on the Red Sox.

Dennis was an avid outdoorsman, a passion since childhood. He loved to hunt deer and fish for trout. Most of his fishing took place at the Norford Lake Fishing Club where he was Secretary for many years. Through these activities he spent cherished time with family members such as his father Bill and his nephew Charlie. He also enjoyed hiking and snowshoeing on his property in Norwich behind his childhood home. Dennis was an avid bird watcher and invested much time connecting with nature and the animals on his properties. He and his partner, Jayne, loved spending time outdoors together. They especially loved watching cardinals at his feeders and the squirrels who would compete for their position at the food trough. Dennis had a love for landscaping and caring for his yard was his pride and joy. He invested countless hours into maintaining his picture-perfect lawn and blueberry bushes. Dennis was incredibly dedicated to his family. Saturday night dinners were a treasured tradition in the DeVaux family. When his parents were living everyone would convene at their house weekly, and once they passed the tradition continued at his sister Cindy's house.

Dennis engaged in many of the shooting sports, but trapshooting was his favorite. He enjoyed shooting with family and friends and rose to the elite levels in the competitive ranks. His trapshooting skills resulted in many championships at the state level. He was an All American and in 2002 won the Grand American Handicap, one of the most prestigious events in trapshooting. In addition, he and his father won the Father and Son Grand American Handicap in 1977. Dennis was Secretary and Trustee of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame, State Director and Secretary of the Vermont Trapshooting Association, Board of Directors member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association, Vice President of the Montpelier Gun Club, a member of the Vermont Trapshooting Hall of Fame, and member of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen.

Dennis recently retired from his position as Vice President of Upper Valley Press in North Haverhill, NH. His career there spanned more than 40 years. He started at an entry-level position in 1980 and worked his way up to Vice President. In the words of his colleague, Phil Hayward, "Dennis loved all the employees like they were his family" and "his dedication and honesty were instrumental to the company's success".

Dennis is survived by his longtime partner, Jayne Bowman of Rindge, NH, three siblings, Cynthia Rocchio and husband Anthony of Windsor, VT, Louise Reitano of Sharon, VT, and David Marshall DeVaux of Corinth, VT. He is also survived by one nephew, Charlie DeVaux of Lyme, NH, and his nieces, Amanda Sanchez and husband Tony of Plainfield, NH, and Mia Donata Rocchio of Philadelphia, PA. He will be missed by many relatives and wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Due to covid concerns, only a private family service will be held at this time, with a public celebration of life in the spring or early summer. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are appreciated to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Thetford Rescue Squad, Alzheimer's Association, or the VNH Hospice Association.