Adrienne Marie Devlin Deaton

On Sunday, June 29, 2025, Adrienne Marie Devlin Deaton passed away from complications of an infection after surgery. Adrienne was born on September 21, 1968 to Raymond & Karen Smith on the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. They moved to Riverdale, Maryland when she was two years old, where she was raised.

She is survived by her son Mark Devlin, her daughter Margaret (Meg) Pierce & her husband Jared Pierce, her grandsons Caleb and Devlin Pierce, and her husband Tim Deaton. She is also survived by her older brother, Adam and four younger sisters, Martha, Joanna, Deborah and Holly and their families.

Adrienne was a life-long church member and devout follower of Christ. She began attending Hyattsville United Methodist Church where she met her husband, Thomas (Tom) Devlin, as they both served as ushers. After a short courtship, they were married at a small family gathering at the church on September 24, 1987.

Adrienne knew from a very young age that all she wanted was to become a mom, and she was determined to be a great one. She had a lot of practice helping to raise and care for her younger sisters. Adrienne gave birth to their daughter, Meg in 1988 and their son, Mark in 1991. During the years her children were small, she was a homemaker and daycare provider, loving all the children she cared for and considering them “her kids” even into their adult years. She then went to work at Chevy Chase Bank for many years, followed by working alongside her mom at CTA and JMA Solutions, where she retired in 2015.

In 1995, the family moved to Crofton, Maryland where they became members of Community United Methodist Church and of the Crofton community, making many strong friendships in the 20 years residing there. Prior to being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 29, Adrienne was known by those close to her as super woman. She was always in motion: she worked full time, was incredibly active in the church and the school community, constantly doing activities with the kids, and always pursuing passion projects. Her creativity was one of her best strengths and she loved sewing, crocheting, painting, and really any form of crafting you could imagine. She showed her love for Christ through her involvement with liturgical dance, children’s church and vacation bible school, volunteering to bring healthy meals to those in need, and making prayer shawls with the Stitcher’s Group for those struggling or going through a difficult time in life. She was an avid crocheter her whole life, and made many baby blankets for family and friends to help welcome their new ones to the world. In more recent years, some of her passion projects included learning new languages like French and Polish, gourmet cooking and baking.

Though her Multiple Sclerosis took a toll on her physical capabilities over the years, she did not let it conquer her spirit. She struggled with her energy levels, which was hard for her as a do-er in life. But Adrienne was fiercely independent and referred to herself as “the Mighty Tortoise” … meaning she could be slow but she would eventually accomplish everything she wanted to do.

Fittingly, her favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

In 2015 she and Tom moved to West Jefferson, North Carolina to enjoy their retirement. Both had dreamed of living in the mountains during their retirement years and they were able to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversairy there. She adopted the nickname Addy shortly after their move and new friends came to know her that way. Sadly, Tom passed away unexpectedly in 2018 and Adrienne moved to Elkridge, Maryland to be closer to her son and community of friends in Maryland. She became a member of Glen Mar Church and lived by herself, along with her beloved dog and most faithful companion, Maxie, and her cat, Summer.

Adrienne became a grandmother in 2024 when Meg and her husband Jared’s first son, Caleb was born. She absolutely loved being a Mimi and it brought her great joy to interact with Caleb in person and over weekly Facetimes. Her second grandson, Devlin, was born June 29, 2025, on the same day that Adrienne passed away. We can never understand why she was taken by the Lord before being able to meet Devlin, but we can only hope she will serve as his guardian angel.

In 2024, Adrienne married her high school boyfriend, Tim Deaton after rekindling their romance. Tim also became a member of Glen Mar Church, where they were married on January 12, 2024. She was so happy to have found love and companionship again, and considered herself blessed to have reunited with her first love. Their faith and service to God was an important part of their relationship and she spoke fondly of how they prayed together everyday for the people they loved. She was also active in listening and participating in the Daily Audio Bible community of people and found friendships and connections that she cherished.

She loved people, encouraging them and going out of her way to make them feel seen and special (especially children). She often would take a long time to go anywhere because she was so busy talking to people and asking them details about their lives. Her family meant everything to her and she was so proud of her kids. She was one of the most creative people you’ve ever met and always had the most unique ideas. She will be severely missed by her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched.

It is bittersweet to end with how she signed all of her emails and correspondence:

“Smile! Dance!

Fly! Dream! Believe!

Don't ever give up.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations are made in Adrienne’s name to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. A celebration of life service will be held in September at Community United Methodist Church in Crofton