Born Devadass Sanjivee in Sentul Pasar on May 19, 1936, he was the son of Mariadass Sanjivee, an employee of the Malayan Railways, and Maria Susaiammal, and the eldest of four children. He spent the Second World War years in Pondicherry, India and subsequently completed his studies at the Methodist Boys School in Sentul, finishing with a Form Five and subsequently pursuing a course in Pitman bookeeping which he completed with First Class.
A humble and self-effacing man, his manners were polished by habit and his conversations were characterised by politeness, always ending with an affirmative 'thank you' that had a touch of warmth. A sociable and witty man, he was always the inspiration and spokesman for his more reserved wife Clara, the daughter of Thambusamy Naidu from Trivandrum in Kerala, South India.
In accepting a marriage put together by relatives from across the seas, Devadass travelled nine days by steam ship Rajula (SS Rajula) to meet Clara, whom he married at the famous St Joseph's Cathedral in Palayam in Trivandrum. In the only exchange of photographs in 1962, Devadass liked what he saw. She was four years his junior and a Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) holder. Abiding by her parents' wishes, the village beauty saw Devadass for the first time only a few days before walking up the isle with him on Sept 6, 1962. Devadass brought his blushing bride on the same ship back to Malaysia where she bore him three children — a girl Assunta and boys Clarence and Raymond.
Devout Roman Catholics, Devadass and Clara's exemplary Christian living inspired their elder son Clarence to become a priest. From his parents, Clarence learnt the secret of his success as a priest was in a life of prayer and sacrifice.
Devadass's strong pastoral sense and commitment to mission brought an unbending loyalty to Christian tradition whereby he was also a Lay Minister at the Church of St Jude in Rawang, charismatic prayer groups, and a marriage counsellor. He was also an active member in his community where he served in a variety of leadership roles in the Lions Club, Drug Rehabilitation Centre, Parent-Teacher Association and the neighbourhood Rukun Tetangga.
During his years in the Lions Club, he dedicated himself to helping needy people. In the days when medical care was not so advanced, Devadass raised public funds to finance a correctional congenital heart defect surgery in Australia for a toddler and also assisted in providing help to those who needed cornea transplants.
Many of his colleagues today appreciate him for his commitment and service rendered to the Police Administrative and Civilian Staff Union.
On his meagre government salary, he ensured that he gave his children the best education possible, with Assunta becoming an anaesthetic and Raymond an accountant.
Devadass never smoked nor drank other than an occasional brew which he often camouflaged to keep pace with the company he kept or entertaining friends at home.
In recognition of his contributions to the country and community, Devadass was honoured by the Inspector General of Police and was conferred the Pingat Pangkuan Negara (PPN) by the Yang diPertuan Agong and the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) and Pingat Perkhidmatan Selangor (PPS) by the Sultan of Selangor.
On retirement, he learnt to use the computer and mastered it to a point that he became an instructor at a computer training institute. Not one to be deterred by age, he developed his own syllabus that proved useful for anyone keen on word processing and spreadsheet applications.
The last few years saw him being a dedicated grandfather who took interest in playing a proactive role in the formative years of his grandchildren. However, declining health in the last months of his life saw him in church with a nurse by his side, but he bore his discomfort with characteristic courage and dignity and a ready smile for everyone.
Devadass is survived by his wife of 53 years, daughter, sons, grandchildren Raveena, Vanisha and Eshana and brothers Francis and Joseph.
(The Malay Mail, 07 February 2015)