Madeleine Devrin Mcvey

Madeleine DeVrin McVey, 97, formerly of Ephrata, passed away Friday, April 17, 2020 at Mennonite Home Communities. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, she was the daughter of the late Gustave and Gabrielle Janssens DeVrin. She was the loving wife of the late Jay B. McVey, an award-winning local artist and art teacher. Madeleine was an adventurer. Living in Nazi-occupied Antwerp during World War II, she helped the war effort as a volunteer for the Salvation Army, serving soldiers in the canteens in her hometown. Madeleine was a survivor of a V-2 rocket attack on the Rex Cinema in Antwerp. After the war, she traveled to Berlin, Germany as a Lieutenant with the Salvation Army. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she worked as an au pair in what is now known as Democratic Republic of Congo. In the early 1960s, she traveled to the United States. After brief stays in New York City and the Reading, Pennsylvania area, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she met her husband, Jay. After marrying, they moved to Europe, where Jay spent several years studying art in Antwerp, Salzburg, and Perugia, Italy. They returned to the United States in the 1960s, and settled in Ephrata, where Jay opened the McVey Art Shop. Madeleine operated the art gallery for many years after Jay’s death. At the age of 65, Madeleine became a U.S. citizen. In a Lancaster Newspapers article from October 1987, she is quoted as saying, “You never know what will happen in life…I love this country.” Madeleine was a faithful member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Ephrata. She also attended Saint Leo the Great. Madeleine passed along her devout faith in the Lord and her love of travel to her children, Henri McVey (husband of Kristina Jones McVey) and Marylou McVey, of Lancaster. She is also survived by a granddaughter, Mallory McVey, and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by a brother, Alphonse DeVrin, Belgium. Due to COVID-19, a memorial service will take place on a date to be announced. Private interment will be at Bergstrasse Cemetery in Ephrata. Kindly omit flowers. If desired, contributions may be made to Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church, 2427 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA, 17601 or to Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 320 Church Avenue, Ephrata, PA, 17522.