Francis Joseph Dever Jr.

Francis Joseph Dever, Jr., 1946-2020. Frank Dever passed away at age 73 on July 22, 2020, from complications of the COVID-19 virus. Frank was born on August 25, 1946, to Francis J. and Marie K. (Gaudreau) Dever, of Quincy, MA. He was the oldest of a large, loving family that grew to include three sisters, a brother, and many cousins and close friends. Following in the footsteps of his father and paving the way for his siblings and children, Frank graduated from Boston College in 1968. He worked first in finance until a role as controller of Dunkin’ Donuts in Randolph, MA, offered Frank entry into the restaurant business. Frank relocated to Orlando, FL, in 1980, where he worked to develop General Mills restaurants internationally. As Vice President of the International Division, Frank made dozens of round trips to Japan during the 1980s and established Red Lobster restaurants in Canada. In 1993 he became a resident of Lake Mary, FL, where he began a career in commercial real estate and published two books that documented the process of real estate sales and leases. Frank served his community as a mentor to high school students enrolled in the Take Stock in Children program and as an active member in the Lake Mary Rotary where he was recently awarded a Paul Harris Fellow in appreciation for his contributions to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Frank was a sharp, witty, friendly, and deeply loving person. He was a young dad of two children, and if that meant he missed both the draft and the protests of the 1960s, he embraced the music of the period with all his heart. Frank was a good baseball player as a youth, and a coach to his son’s Little League teams in Needham, MA. The Boston Red Sox broke his heart for decades, until they started to win the World Series. Frank loved to catch a spring training game or two in Winter Haven each year, and he made sure his children grew up knowing how to score a game. Frank was a passionate follower of the Boston Celtics and later the Orlando Magic, and of Boston College football. He was an avid reader of terrible fiction, typically featuring spies and elaborate espionage plots. In losing Frank, Florida has lost one drop of water from the giant blue wave he was hoping to see in November’s election. Frank was predeceased by his parents and by his nephew, John Jorgensen. He is survived by his wife, Diane Rose Dever of Longwood, FL, and by his children Carolyn Dever (and spouse Paul Young) of Hanover, NH, and Mark Dever (and spouse Valérie Kindt) of Washington, DC. Frank was a proud Poppy to his three beautiful grandchildren, Amber Mohrmann Lewis (and spouse Joben Lewis), Noah Dever Young, and Samuel Kindt Dever, and his brand-new great grandson, Seth Josiah Lewis. He is survived also by his aunt and godmother, Geraldine Mayer, his aunt Mary Dever, by his siblings Jeanne-Marie Ryan (and spouse John), Anne Dever-McEvoy, Martha Dever, and Brian Dever (and spouse Alice Braunstein), by his sister in law Susan Rose Jorgensen (and spouse Niels) and his brother in law Tim Rose (and spouse Karen). Frank is also survived by his loving nieces, nephews, and cousins and their families, and by his friends in both Florida and New England. Celebrations of Frank’s life will be held in Florida and Massachusetts when his friends and family can gather safely. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the John Jorgensen Endowed Cello Scholarship at the Hartt School, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117 (attn. Christine E. Adams), or to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU.org). The family of Francis Joseph Dever, Jr. invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created in his memory.

Francis Joseph Dever Jr.

August 25, 1946 - July 22, 2020