Dewayne Ide

He was born on October 18, 1936, in Cadillac, MI, to the late Mary Briggs Ide and Oris Ide.

Dewayne’s life involved serving others in both his personal and professional life. Always giving, always loving and always sharing of his time. Dewayne spent his early years in his birthplace of Cadillac, MI and after he graduated from Michigan Tech with his Civil Engineering degree he served stateside in the Army during the early Vietnam war days.

Dewayne and Sherri were married on September 5, 1965 at East Congregational church in Cadillac, MI. They lived in various locations across Michigan early on and then moved out west to Wyoming and Idaho, serving in the U.S. Forest Service for a dedicated career of over 30 years as a lead civil engineer, working on many federal forests including the Bridger, Sawtooth out west, regional field office in Milwaukee, WI and finally finishing up in the Hiawatha forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

After his retirement from the US Forest Service, he worked another 17 years for two different Civil engineering firms in Michigan, leading large-scale projects in the field throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He loved the outdoors, and his work allowed him to enjoy lots of time outside in the elements.

He established homes with his loving wife Sherri and daughter Kymberly in Wyoming, Idaho, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he resided in Gladstone, MI for 44 years. In the past three years he and Sherri settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan to be close to his daughter Kymberly and family.

Dewayne loved first and foremost his Lord Jesus and was looking forward to an eternity in heaven through his lifelong relationship with Jesus. Dewayne simply enjoyed being with family, loved classical and John Denver music, woodworking, any home fix it projects, baking his legendary chocolate chip cookies, hunting, serving with the American Legion in Gladstone and was a decades long member of First Lutheran church in Gladstone, MI.

Dewayne was a devoted husband to Sherri always tending to her needs in his quiet, loyal, patient and all loving manner. He was a loving and giving father to Kymberly and wisdom filled grandfather to his grandsons Evan, Avery and Asher. He will be deeply missed by his family.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon Ide, of Grand Rapids; his daughter, Kymberly Erickson, of Rockford, MI (Son in-law Eric); and his grandchildren, Evan, Avery and Asher Erickson.

He was preceded in death by Mary Briggs Ide and Oris Ide, and four brothers, Gerald, Harold, Herb and Keith.

The family will hold a celebration of life on Saturday February 7, 10:30am at StoryPoint West, 3121 Lake Michigan Dr. Grand Rapids, followed by internment in the Spring at Gardens of Rest in Escanaba, MI.

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Legion in Flat Rock, MI or the American Parkinson Disease Association (https://www.apdaparkinson.org/).