Monday, July 23, 2018

In Memory of Patrick Devlin

I have some sad news for GDB readers; the other day I received a message from Mike Devlin: I'm sorry to report that my brother Patrick succumbed to cancer this last Wednesday.  I'll miss his comments to your daily postings.

I will miss his comments too; I exchanged a few emails with Patrick over the years as well, and you could tell that he was a good person with a fun sense of humor. As many of you will recall, I was the happy recipient of a small box of vintage slides featuring the Devlin family at Disneyland; I'll repost some of my favorites today as a tribute to Patrick.

Let's start with this nice portrait (from September, 1961) with Pat, Mary, Pluto, and Judy. Merlin's Magic Shop is behind them, full of magician's paraphernalia, practical jokes, and  best of all, rubber monster masks.


Here's an impressive photo of Pat in front of the graceful Moonliner! He tucked in his shirt, or maybe his mother did it for him.


The remaining photos are from April 23, 1960; first up is this shot from the Tahitian Lanai, overlooking the Jungle Cruise loading dock. A handy shield protects the kids (Pat, Mary, and Mike) from poison darts. Mike is really taking it all in, which is why he wound up working for Imagineering himself.


Next we have Mary and Pat, who have boldly left the main trail to brave the wilds 4 feet away!


Pat liked being near the water (in the same location as the previous photo?), it seems. Here he is right by the Adventureland entrance; somehow piranhas now infest these waters, even though it has just come from piranha-free Fantasyland moments before.



Here's a beautiful shot taken in the shade of trees that had matured in the five years the park had been open. I prefer the planter full of flowers (behind the Devlin boys) without the "Partners" statue, and I think Walt himself would probably agree.


Growing boys need plenty of fuel to keep them going during a long day at Disneyland. Popcorn and ice cream bars have all of the sugar and nutrients they could ask for! Here we have brothers Pat, Joe, and Tom.


Pat's still munching on popcorn (who knows, maybe it's another full box), while sister Mary cozies up to Mary Jo (the patient mother) as they relax on a handy bench next to the Red Wagon Inn.


And finally, my favorite of the bunch, with Pat gazing intently at the brand-new Sub lagoon; there's the "Ethan Allen" cruising by, and the three-car red Monorail zooming along in the background. Perhaps Pat has already been on the Subs, and is recalling all of the wonders that he has seen (Atlantis! Sunken treasure! Underwater volcanos! Sea serpents!)? Or is he still awaiting his first experience journeying through liquid space?


Rest in Peace, Patrick Devlin. Thank you for your friendship.

(You can see many more wonderful photos from the Devlin family over at Daveland - click on THIS LINK)

22 comments:

  1. All-

    In no small way, it somehow feels like a death in the family. It's always a joy at each daily "Check-in" to read what folks have to say - if merely a comment, or providing wonderful tidbits of info. In Patrick's case, there was a bit more, as we all got to see he and his family traipsing-around Disneyland.

    Thank you, Major, for this nice tribute. We are reminded, once again, of the beauty of life and how fragile it is. And if anyone will be visiting The Happiest Place On Earth any time soon, bring along some good thoughts of Patrick.

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  2. So very sad to hear this.

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  3. I am very saddened by the news of Patrick's passing. My deepest sympathy goes out to Mike and the entire Devlin family.

    This was such a nice tribute, Major. Patrick will truly be missed here.

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  4. Rest in Peace Patrick. My sincere condolences to Mike and the rest of the family.

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  5. What can I say that hasn't already been said. I will miss Patrick's presence here. My sincere condolences to Mike and the Devlin Family.

    Beautiful tribute, Major.

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  6. It's always a shock to lose someone from our community. At least the pictures live on, thanks to Major. RIP Patrick, you will be missed.

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  7. So very sad to hear this. Everyone here is like a close friend. I will miss you, Patrick. Thinking of you and your family :(

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  8. My condolences to the Devlin family. What a heartfelt commemoration this is. Thanks very much, Major.

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  9. My condolences to the Devlin family. This is such sad news. I always enjoyed his comments. The comments here say it all. Thanks for letting us know and giving us this fine tribute.

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  10. I am so sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed his comments.

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  11. Such sad news today. My heartfelt condolences to the Devlin family. I will miss Patrick's excellent commentary every day. Rest in peace Patrick.

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  12. Pat Devlin is my uncle. I am so, so grateful for this post and for the comments that appear here. For good or ill, a certain Disney fanaticism made it's way down through DNA to me. Going there wont ever be the same. We miss him.
    Many thanks.
    Mary Ailish Devlin Birnbaum
    Vista, Ca.

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  13. I'm sure so sorry to hear of Pat's passing. His postings sure brought alot of fondness and joy in his great memories of Disneyland! Thanks, Mary, for posting.

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  14. So sorry to open the blog just now and see this headline. It's really hard to lose a brother. I really enjoyed his shared photos and his comments. We are a very special community. My condolences to the Devlin family.

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  15. So very sorry to hear. Our deepest condolences to the Devlin family on the loss of Patrick. I too understand the pain of losing a sibing. I'm glad the family has so many great photographic memories to keep. Thank you, Mike and family for sharing them with us.

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  16. Anonymous9:59 AM

    I lost my favorite aunt on the same day. Life is so fleeting. Yet we move foward richer from the good memories. My sincere condolences to the family. KS

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  17. Warren Nielsen10:15 AM

    The Devlin family,

    I doubt that there is anyone here that has not lost someone close to them, and we can feel and understand the pain, anguish, grief and overwhelming sense of loss that you are feeling right now. Like Nanook said above, the GDB family shares in your heartbreak. We have all appreciated Patrick's pictures and his commentary here, and we will miss him. I hope that by sharing with your 'extended' family here on GDB your burden is a little lighter.

    W

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  18. RIP, Patrick. My condolences to Mike and his family and friends. It's such sad news. It's so nice to have the photographic memories to jog the ones we carry in our minds. What a great tribute, Major.

    dz

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  19. Hi all, thanks for the nice words, and especially the condolences for the Devlin family. I know that I am personally grateful that (by some miracle) a great little community has formed here at GDB; as corny as it sounds, it really is like a bunch of distant relatives - we don’t get together much (I do see some of you on rare occasions!), but we keep in touch other ways (comments mostly - as one friend called them, “the coin of the realm”).

    Mary Ailish Devlin Birnbaum, thank you for your lovely comment; how can your Disney fandom be for anything but good? There’s nothing wrong with a bit of escapist fun, whether it's the parks or the movies - at some point in my life I decided I was going to own my love of Disneyland, and if other people thought I was a nerd, I could happily live with it!

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  20. So sorry to hear this news. My thoughts are with the Devlin family. Patrick looks a few years younger than me, but I'd like to think we passed each other in the park way back then. My his spirit find Neverland.

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  21. Major, this is terrible news. My condolences to Patrick's family, and many, many thanks for the memories and photos shared.

    May Patrick's memory be a blessing to all.

    With deepest sympathy...

    JG

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