George Victor Van Deventer died Nov. 18, 2023, at his daughter Susan’s Connecticut home. Born Sept. 8, 1935, in Newark, N.J., he was the son of George W. and Bertha E. (Hulsman) Van Deventer. He married Arlene H. Carhart on Feb. 24, 1965, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Jersey City, N.J.
Following his Army service and 18 years as a fuel truck driver for Gulf Oil Corp., George, with Arlene and daughter, Susan, moved to Washington in 1973; he restored an 1862 “fixer upper” into what would become Snow Drift Farm, a dairy operation of 120 cattle.
After nearly two decades of dairy farming, George sold the cows, operating a storage business and selling hay; with Arlene, he converted the farm into Snow Drift Bed & Breakfast which they ran for 11 years until they retired to Bristol, in a house he designed.
Writing poetry since 1963, Van Deventer served as executive director of the Live Poets Society (Maine) from 1990-1997, organizing poetry events that were like a variety show, drawing record numbers in attendance. During this time, George worked extensively in elementary schools developing poetry workshops for children, reaching 1,030 children in Maine’s Midcoast schools in 1997. Van Deventer served as editor of “Off the Coast” (2001-2007), the Journal of the Live Poets Society. In 2008, George was recognized by Gov. John Baldacci for his work in promoting poetry in Maine.
Predeceased by his wife of 43 years, George is survived by his daughter, Susan; granddaughter, Mia; his brother, David; his nephews, Dave and Glen. A celebration of his life will be held at 1 p.m. on Jan. 27 at Congregational Church of Bristol, ccobucc.org.
Full obituary and info about donations (in lieu of flowers) can be found at everloved.com/life-of/george-van-deventer/obituary.
