Ralph William deVille

Ralph William deVille, 84, of Highlands, passed away on Saturday, November 28, 2015.

Born in Miami and graduated from Miami High, he received his Master’s in Ceramic Engineering from Ohio State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He served in the United States Air Force, and while on leave, he traveled to Japan. It was on this visit that he fell in love with the culture and the art of Japan.

After his parents had established a summer home in Highlands, he decided the mountains would be perfect for his future business and family, and he moved to Highlands in early 1960. He opened the Stone Lantern, a store specializing in Asian art, on July 4th, 1960, marrying Lynn that fall after establishing the business. The store became a fixture of Highlands Main Street, as he traveled the globe almost every winter, going to destinations such as India, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Holland, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Korea.

For Ralph deVille, the Stone Lantern was more than a business. The store was an ongoing work of art where he found tremendous joy in the arrangement of displays to share beauty found in exquisite craftsmanship, as well as in nature. He loved his customers, writing over 300 postcards each year during his annual pilgrimage to the Far East. His customers were all part of one tremendous, extended family, and for over five decades, he cherished bringing joy to this family on an individual basis. He delighted in finding special treasures that would complement a specific customer’s collection of fine art and took great pride in designing custom jewelry for individual customers to be crafted in Hong Kong and Thailand.

The Stone Lantern hosted Asian Art and Ikebana Festivals for several summers bringing in internationally‑renowned talent to share their knowledge of Far Eastern art and the joy of Japanese flower arranging. A devout lover of nature, Mr. deVille created several flower arrangements each day, and there were always over 20 handcrafted arrangements on display throughout the store with flowers being imported from all over the world.

He served on the Highlands Chamber of Commerce Board, the Highlands Hospital Board, and was a charter member of the Town of Highlands Tree Board that sought to restore and protect downtown flora. He found great joy in making a life, home, and family with his wife Lynn. He lived a philosophy of “follow your heart” and instilled that passion with the greatest of love in his children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Add Ebrum Deville and Etta Josephine Deville, of Miami, and his brother, Richard Lee Deville, of Coral Gables.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Marilyn Swerking deVille, and his brother Philip Ray Deville, of Miami. He is additionally survived by three children,  John David deVille, Anne Elise deVille, and Susan Leigh deVille; a son‑in‑law who was like a son, James Kenneth Rogers; and by three grandchildren, Adam deVille Schiffli, Nadya Elise Rogers, and David William Rogers, all of Macon County.

All services will be private, and the family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made either to the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund at PO Box 460, Highlands, NC  28741, or to the Literacy Council of Highlands at PO Box 2320.

Bryant‑Grant Funeral Home is serving the deVille family.  Online condolences may be made at bryantgrantfuneralhome.com.

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