Adriane DeVries

Adriane DeVries, age 42, of Bloomfield, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, April 30, 2021.

The fourth born child of Peter DeVries and Cathie (Stafford) Dorrance, and described by her mom as “a beautiful baby”, Adriane was born in Paterson and raised during her formative years in West Milford where she enjoyed typical childhood activities like swimming in the family’s pool and going to Girl Scouts. She lived life adventurously and never shied away from a challenge no matter how big or small. While attending high school in New Mexico, she worked part-time for a Walgreens Store in the city of Albuquerque and ultimately worked her way through the ranks to the position of store manager. Upon return to residence in New Jersey, and because of a great love for young children, she enrolled at Passaic County Community College and studied for licensure as a Registered Nurse. She excelled in her studies and after graduating, she began her nursing career in pediatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center. Adriane loved her work and was a great encouragement to the hospitalized children she was given the honor to serve. Her sensitive and caring spirit, was such a blessing to the children whose care she was charged with extending.

Known to just pick up and take off, Adriane enjoyed trips to Mexico with friends and rides on her late boyfriend Ronnie Rios’ (2007) motorcycle. She was a bit of a fashionista who was very adept at putting sharp looking ensembles together and she loved striking just the right atmosphere by filling a room with lots of warm glowing candles. Adriane adored her nieces, nephews and God-children. She took great pride in claiming that it was she who came up with the name Brianna for her God-child and she was always spoiling all of them with gifts. (Lucky kids!) In fact, Adriane’s generous heart frequently inspired her to spontaneously give gifts to family and friends.  

While Adriane adored traditional pets like her beloved pet Pitbull Jayden, she also possessed an attraction for the more exotic. She loved sea turtles and swimming with the dolphins and one time, while at the zoo with her family, she somehow snuck away and got in to the attraction and pet a tiger. That was a close call! As a child, she was a member of the 4H Club where she learned how to ride horses. It was an experience she continued to enjoy throughout her life.

Unfortunately Adriane’s strong-willed temperament and fear of seemingly nothing lead her into some dangerous situations in her life. Sadly, like so many others today, she struggled with drug addiction. She wanted so much to move beyond their pull and regularly attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings and was hoping to one day become a certified counselor to help others in the same predicament which caused so much pain in her own life. She desperately wanted to tell others “Don’t do it!”

From the time she was just a little child, Adriane’s father Peter said she could talk the paint off of the walls. She was funny and feisty and would pull no punches with respect to how she felt. She would tell it like she saw it and, while principled in her convictions, she had a heart of gold. She was loyal beyond imagination and was known to frequently say “I love you” even if, at the moment, she was mad at you.

Adriane was the much-loved daughter of Peter DeVries of Greenwood Lake, NY and Cathie Dorrance of Rio Rancho, NM; adored sister of: Jessica and husband George Slider of Wayne, Melissa Cerniglia and late husband Joseph (2010) of Pompton Plains, Peter and wife Cindy DeVries of Caldwell, Joshua Dorrance of Phoenix, AZ, Nicole DeVries and fiancé Greg McClamroch of Cape Coral, FL, and Chase DeVries of Greenwood Lake, NY; and cherished aunt of: Kayla, Lexi, Evan, Michael, Brianna, Nicholas, Lyndsay, Savannah, Mya, and Lilah.

In lieu of flowers, in Adriane’s memory and at her request to help others suffering from addiction, donations would be appreciated to:

Turning Point

ATTENTION:  Stacy Green

680 Broadway, Suite 104

Paterson, NJ 07514

A donation can also be made online at:

www.turningpointnj.org/donations