Betty “Jo” Devine-Acres

Betty “Jo” Devine-Acres, 60, passed away peacefully Sunday, March 22, 2015, in her home on Whidbey Island.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, April 24, at Langley United Methodist Church, 301 Anthes Ave., Langley, WA, 360-221-4233.

Betty Jo Devine was born Oct. 17, 1954, and was raised in Lake Oswego, Ore., until June 1971, when her family moved to Seattle. She graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1972, after which she attended North Seattle Community College, Central University in Oklahoma and obtained her BLA in Communications at the University of Alaska Southeast in 1984.

Jo went on to get her master’s in English literature from the University of Washington in 1988, while she was raising her two young sons, which took a great deal of hard work. Jo also furthered her education by attending the prestigious Bread Loaf, Master of Letters, Program through Vermont’s Middlebury College.

In 1990, Jo took a position with University of Alaska Southeast as an English professor. She made a great impact on her students and was also a passionate colleague who helped raise standards, especially in the English department.

Jo was a loving and supportive mother, grandmother and wife. Jo was a free spirit and a wonderful artist as well as a writer. She loved and was loved by her family and many friends. Jo loved her animals and the outdoors. Jo will be dearly missed.

Jo is survived by her husband, Gregory Acres; her sons, Bradley (Penny) and Mason Leland (Jennifer); six grandchildren, Keagan, Morgan, Ashton, Milo, Cedar and Myelle; and former daughter-in-law, Amy Osterbrink.

She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Chuck and Ruth Devine, and her brother, Eugene Devine.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to The Whidbey Island Waldorf School, 6335 Old Pietila Road, Clinton, WA 98236, in Jo’s name.