20 October 2018 12:00 am
Today marks the third death anniversary of my beloved sister, Devika.
Every human being is unique in his or her own way and Devika had a passion to serve God and as a result the less fortunate people, to talk to them, to pray for them and be a part of them. She even opened her doors to them in her Hendala home to teach the Word of God every Tuesday. She had compassion towards other human beings.
A good friend, a beloved teacher, a prayer warrior, an evangelist, Devika was one such gracious, compassionate, kind and admirable human being. Her love and company will be missed forever by all.
Our hearts are full of affection, gratitude, appreciation and honour for her. She was a beloved wife to Yohan, a caring mother to Dinushka and Arvin, a lovable sister and sister-in-law, a beloved aunt, cousin and a good friend to all.
Born on 27th July 1961 to Leslie and Venetia de Alwis, of Kerawalapitiya, Hendala, Devika had two elder sisters, Ingrid who lives in Canada and I. She was educated at C.M.S Ladies’ College, Colombo and was a Head Girl of the school. Devika, taught art at Ladies’ College. She used to work late hours helping to make the backdrops, design costumes and props for school plays and stage activities. She was persevering and never gave up whatever she undertook to do in spite of her busy schedule.
She was also the teacher in charge of the Student Christian Movement and loved taking students on camps and training them for the annual Bible Quiz organized by the Bible Society. She was also a Sunday School teacher at the Hendala Baptist Church for many years.
Everyone felt welcome in her home and there wasn’t a single day that she didn’t greet one with her affection and charming smile, glittering eyes and lovable personality. She had an admirable ability to relate both to the young, and the not so young, and the affluent, as well as the not so affluent.
If one had a personal problem they would confide in ‘Aunty Dee’ as she was better known and were assured of valuable Christ-centered advice and a strong hand of support. In addition to her love for art, she loved to sing for the Lord.
Devika, was very keen on studying the Word of God and she even commenced a course to obtain her divinity degree. She wanted to have a good knowledge of the Bible.
There was never a moment when she lay idle in good health or otherwise. She was so busy, we could not find time to meet her during the day. Her life was rich and complete. Her life was not measured by material comfort but God-given human qualities, which she shared with others to brighten many lives.
We are indeed honoured and privileged to have been a part of her family.
Devika, we miss you so much, but you will remain in our hearts forever till we meet again.
Ione Algama