Funeral services celebrating the life of Donald Owen DeVault, 79, of Newark, will be held at the REED-EGAN FUNERAL HOME, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark, 11:00 A.M., Tuesday, May 8, 2018, with Fr. Jonathan Wilson as celebrant. Interment will follow in Smith Chapel Cemetery with military honors provided by the Licking County Veterans Alliance.

Don, a United States Navy Veteran, died at the Selma Markowitz Care Center of Hospice of Central Ohio on Thursday, May 3, 2018.  He was born in Glendale, Ohio on July 6, 1938, to the late Dorothy E. DeVault and Charles Gedra.

Don was a 1956 graduate of Fairborn High School and 1983 graduate of Ohio University Zanesville School of Nursing. He was a retired registered nurse from the State of Ohio Corrections Medical Center. He also worked at the Cambridge Developmental Center as a Psych Nurse and later at the Echoing Hills Residential Center as Director of Nursing.

He was an active member of the Licking Valley Lions Club and served as the District Governor of 13-K from 2005-2006. Don was a member of the Sons of Italy Rinascimento Lodge, Newark Maennerchor, Moose Lodge 499, was a lifetime member of the Amvets Post 3345, Ohio Nurses Association, and Licking County Red Cross serving as Chairman of the American Red Cross Ohio Nurses Network.

Over the years, Don has received over 30 nursing and Lions awards, including three from US Presidents and one from the Ohio Governor. Most recently, Don received the Lions Lifetime Achievement, the Park National Bank "Difference Maker", and was inducted into the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his children, Ricky Lee (Dawn) DeVault, Kim Marie (Scott) Lute, Sherry Lynn (Steve) Thomas, and Candy Hewitt; step-children, Gordon Lee (JoAnn) Smith, Gary P. (Anne) Smith, and Glenn E. (Annette) Smith; 16 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren and one on the way; 2 step-grandchildren; sister, Patricia Jo (Robert) Piche; half-brother, Albert V. Elder II; half-sisters, Peggy Elder and Brenda (Dave) Arledge; step brother, William Elder; sister-in-law, Louise Ellis; and many nieces and nephews.

Don was preceded in death by his wife, Irma T. (Giorgetti-Smith) DeVault, whom he married on July 31, 1976. He is also preceded in death by his grandson, Jeremiah Smith; sisters, Ann (Ferrel) Baker and Katherine Jackson; and step brother, George Elder.

Friends and family may call at the funeral home from 4-8 P.M, Monday, May 7, 2018. The Sons of Italy will conduct a service at 7:15 P.M., followed by a Lions Club Service at 7:30 P.M.

To share your memory of Don or leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.reedegan.com.