- Date Of Birth: May 17, 1930
- Date Of Death: July 18, 2008
- State: Illinois
Mary Margaret Devlin, 78, of Ashland, IL died July 18, 2008 at the Walker Nursing Home in Virginia, IL.
She was born May 17, 1930 in Springfield, IL; the daughter of Frank and Anna Unger Devlin. She is survived by a sister, Sister Jonette O.S.F. of Green Bay, WI; six nieces and nephews, Chris J. Devlin (wife, Terri) of Ashland, Kay Reiser of Champaign, Laura Mosley (husband, Jeff) of Arrowsmith, Cindy Sarff (husband, Rick) of Petersburg, Daniel F. Devlin (wife, Karri) of Springfield, and Cathy Reichart of Springfield; and 14 great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a brother, John W. Devlin (surviving wife, Linda of Ashland).
Miss Devlin was a 1948 graduate of Virginia High School, Springfield Junior College, and received her BS and MS degrees form Western Illinois University in Macomb. She began her teaching career at Franklin High School from 1952 to 1955 and continued at Pleasant Plains High School from 1955 until her retirement in 1988. During her tenure at Pleasant Plains, she established musicals and madrigal events at the school. Her choir, musicals, and madrigal productions were well known throughout central Illinois. She formerly served as district choral chairman of the Illinois Music Education Association for a number of years. She hosted IMEA organizational solo and ensemble contests while teaching at Pleasant Plains. She was an acclaimed and popular IMEA and IHSA adjudicator for many years. During her leadership, the Pleasant Plains Music Department was awarded the IHSA Sweepstakes Award for Illinois Class C Schools. In recognition of her outstanding teaching, she was inducted into the Pleasant Plains High School Wall of Fame becoming the first fine arts instructor ever honored.
A devoted member of St. Augustine parish in Ashland, she served as organist and choir director for 50 years. She also formerly served on the St. Augustine Cemetery Board and the Parish Council. Donating her musical talent, she served as pagent director for the Ashland Centennial Celebration in 1982. She was also a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority. In her retirement, she provided private voice lessons for many students. In so many ways, her life was dedicated to music.
