Tonya DeVries

Tonya DeVries passed away on Jan. 25, 2024, at home with family.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel in Clear Lake. Memorials may be directed to the family. 

Tonya was born in Blue Island, Ill., on Mother’s Day 1960, to Keith and Sharon (Clark) DeVries. While an infant, her family moved to Clear Lake, then to Ventura. She attended school from kindergarten through graduation at Ventura where she participated in band, choir, softball, track, basketball, and Honor Society. Her favorite high school classes were English and photojournalism. 

Immediately after graduation from VHS, she attended the American Institute of Business in Des Moines and earned an associate’s degree in court reporting. She worked as a freelance court reporter for Cassel, Inc., in Sioux City for four years. In 1984 she accepted a position as an official court reporter for the State of Iowa and served the public for 39 years in Judicial Districts 3A and 2A, retiring in the spring of 2023. Her love of libraries and reading led her to also work as a part-time library clerk for 17 years. 

She married her best friend and love of her life, Tom, in 1980. Together they were blessed with two sons, Tony and Tyler. 

Her hobbies included gardening, reading, walking, nature, photography, movies, and writing. She loved sharing food, garden produce and flowers. At age 50 she showed her boys that you are never too old to learn new things by completing a motorcycle safety course and riding her own motorcycle. Her most favorite way to spend free time, however, was always with her family. 

She and her husband have an Aronia berry orchard, Berry Hill Orchard LLC, near Fertile. She was proud to help grow chemical-free, healthy berries for the public, enjoyed seeing customers during annual u-pick events, and developing and sharing Aronia berry recipes. 

She was a member of the Clear Lake Friendly Garden Club. 

Surviving her is her husband of 43 years, Tom Morse; son, Tony (Suzanne) and grandchildren, Isabella, Kaiden, and Henry; son, Tyler; sister, Tami; and stepdad, Bob Godfrey. 

Preceding her were her grandparents, Minert and Leota DeVries, and Jay and Viola Clark; her mom, Sharon DeVries-Godfrey; and her dad, Keith DeVries.