Dr. Patrick M. Devig

Dr. Patrick M. Devig died in his home June 28th after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Patrick Marvin Devig was born October 13, 1945, in Fremont, Nebraska to Arlene (VanCamp) and Donald French. His parents divorced soon thereafter, and his mother married Marvin K. Devig when Pat was six. His stepfather officially adopted Pat July 15, 1952, in Grafton, ND, giving a new Norwegian family to the young Scots-Irish Swede.

Pat shared time as a child with his parents, maternal grandparents, and great-grandmother -– with guidance from his Uncle Jim – in San Marcus, TX; Grand Forks, ND; and primarily Grafton, ND, where he was active in music, academics, and a bit of basketball. His love and talent for music – specifically his remarkable skills with the trumpet – allowed him to travel to Europe with the International Peace Garden Tour in 1962, which – along with painting houses with his dad – would remain one of his fondest memories from his youth.

Pat enjoyed time at Maple Lake, where his parents bought the cabin he would eventually inherit. He enjoyed swimming, sailing, and trick skiing with friends. He could start off the beach or the dock and never get wet! At Maple, he met Mary Carol Morwood. The two married in 1968 and together raised three children, Matt (1970), Brad (1972), and Becky (1978), until their divorce in 1987.

After graduating from Grafton High School in 1963, Pat earned his B.S. in Natural Sciences from UND in 1967. He attended the UND School of Medicine from 1967-1969 and received his M.D. from the University of Kansas in 1971. Following a one-year residency in Kansas, Pat joined the U.S. Navy as an ensign, serving active-duty state-side while he completed his two-year general surgery residency at the naval hospital in Great Lakes, IL, and another at the naval hospital in Portsmouth, VA, in 1976. During that time, he treated members of the armed forces as they returned from Vietnam. Pat went on to complete his cardiothoracic surgery residency as a Commander at the naval hospital in San Diego, CA, from 1976-1981, with a one-year pediatric cardiovascular surgery residency at the Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA, in 1980.

Following his 1981 honorable discharge from the Navy, Pat served as a prominent cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Lukes/Meritcare in Fargo, ND. There was a time when anyone in the region who knew someone who had heart surgery knew Pat Devig. That tradition moved with him to Grand Forks in 1987, where he started the heart surgery program at United Hospital/Altru Health System. There, Pat married Mary Ann Sather, October 21, 1989. Together, the two adopted and raised a daughter, Vienna (1991), and enjoyed attending UND athletics and eventually their grandchildren’s youth and varsity sports, music, and theater performances.

Anyone who knew Pat Devig knew he loved music. For years, he made music with three bands and two choirs each week. Among others, Pat played in the El Zagal Dance Band and Big Band in Fargo; and the Grand Forks City, Second Wind, Myra Jazz, and Sioux Booster Bands in Grand Forks. He helped bring a marching band back to UND and then played in that Pride of North Marching Band, as well as the basketball and hockey pep bands at the University well into his 60s, prompting one basketball referee to inquire if “that guy was ever going to graduate?”

“Doc” Devig retired from Altru in 2010. Active in church throughout his life, most recently, Pat was a member of Calvary Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, where he used his gifts of playing his trumpet and electric bass, singing in the Calvary Choir, and playing in the handbell choir. In later years, Pat enjoyed his time with Mary Ann’s Memory Café and singing with the Unforgettables Choir, a musical outlet and practice that helped him continue to live well, despite the challenges of his disease.

Pat loved to sail, spending many hours on the water at Maple Lake. He was an avid runner, participating in five marathons, including the Boston Marathon, which he finished in 3:01:49! When his knees wore out, Pat moved to triathlons. Until the pandemic shut down the world, Pat spent almost every morning at the YMCA or Choice. That time at the gym helped him survive for more than 12 years after his Lewy Body Dementia diagnosis.

Patrick Devig lived several lifetimes in his 77 years. He is survived by his wife Mary Ann; his children: Matthew (Dawn), Bradley (Stacy), and Vienna Devig, and Rebecca (Joshua) Trumbo; five grandchildren: Zakary Devig, Heather and Grace Devig, and Benjamin and Allison Trumbo; three step-grandchildren: Tyler McKay (Delaney), Tanner Gaber (Katie), and Torii Guertin; and several dear cousins, nieces and nephews, and half-siblings; and in-laws Gordon and Margaret Sather. “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonderous things.”

Memorials can be made to the Memory Café and Unforgettables through Calvary Lutheran Church, Ethos Hospice, University of North Dakota Medical School and the UND Pride of the North Marching Band.

The service will be livestreamed on the Calvary Lutheran Church website.