M. Vere DeVault

M. Vere DeVault, age 88, died at his home, peacefully, on December 9, 2010.

Vere was a man who enjoyed people and reached out to them as a friend and teacher, in his long career as an academic and also in his daily life. He and his beloved wife, Margaret (Steckel) DeVault, enjoyed travel, spending time with their many friends, and continuing to learn as they grew older together.

Vere was born April 30, 1922 in Lafayette, Indiana, the son of Della Florence Goddard DeVault and Marion Ray DeVault. He grew up in Detroit, MI and Chalmers, IN, served as an army clerk in Europe during the Second World War, and earned a B.A. (in Music) and M.A. at DePauw University and an Ed.D. (in Elementary Education) at Indiana University. He joined the faculty at the University of Texas-Austin in 1953 and in 1961 moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked in the Mathematics Education group in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. He was also the founder and director of Computer Fest. He loved teaching and especially enjoyed opportunities to work collaboratively with his graduate students and colleagues, and with teachers and teacher-educators in Nigeria and Japan.

He published numerous academic articles and books, and co-authored a number of children's books and a series of elementary-level mathematics textbooks. Much of his academic work focused on strategies for individualizing mathematics instruction and he was an early promoter of techniques for using computers in elementary education.

After his retirement, Vere and his wife Marge spent part of each year on St. George Island, near Apalachicola, FL, where they made many friends.

Vere was an enthusiastic hobbyist through the years. He loved growing dahlias, photography, travel around the world, and classical music. He continued his lifelong love of learning through participation in UW's Plato group and West End Club as well as wide and diverse reading.

He is survived by a loving family including his wife of 33 years, Margaret DeVault; his devoted sister, Ileen Imel, of Fort Myers, FL; and his children and grandchildren: Marjorie DeVault and Robert Chibka, of Boston, MA; Ileen DeVault and Diane Feldman and daughter Sara DeVault-Feldman, of Ithaca, N.Y.; Phil DeVault and son Jake Bohn, of Seattle, WA; and his stepchildren and grandchildren Elizabeth Amundson and Jason Sailing and son Julian Sailing, of Madison; John Amundson and daughters Emily and Alexa Amundson, of Madison; Marjorie and Ronald Schildknecht and daughters Rebecca Schildknecht, of Carpentersville, IL and Allison Schildknecht of St. Paul, MN. He was preceded in death by his brother, Glenn DeVault and his parents.

Even as he became weaker, Vere continued to feel that ""life is good."" The family is especially appreciative of the care he received from Dr. Orest Kostelyna and Dr. John M. Phelan who extended his good life and to Hospice and BrightStar caregivers who assisted with his care at home.

As a restaurant enthusiast, even in his last days Vere loved eating meals from Bonfyre, La Brioche True Food, Hubbard Avenue Diner, and Copper Top. The family appreciates the dining help of all of those establishments in keeping Vere enjoying his favorites.

Visitation and a luncheon will be held at the Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, on Thursday December 16^th, 2010 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Don and Marilyn Anderson HospiceCare Center 5395 East Cheryl Parkway, Madison WI 53711.