Friends mourn Vilma deVroeg, musician, 82

The first female musician to join the Freeport Fire Department Band, Vilma deVroeg, died at home in North Merrick on Aug. 22. She was 82.

Born on Oct. 2, 1933, deVroeg grew up in a musical family in Bellmore and graduated from Mepham High School in 1951. After marrying Conrad deVroeg, she moved to North Merrick, where she dedicated her life to making others smile through her music, said her son Conrad Jr.

“She was a fabulous musician,” he said. “She played the piccolo, the alto saxophone, flute and violin.”

DeVroeg made headlines in the 1970s when she became the first woman to join the Freeport Fire Department Band. “Of course in those days, dare I say, she was a feminist for joining a former all-male band,” Conrad said. “And I’m sure the guys in the band had no problem with a woman being around,” he added with a laugh.

deVroeg performed with the Oceanside Symphonic Society and the Long Island Opera Company, and was a founding member of the Merrick Symphony. She also played for the Nassau County Senior Citizen Orchestra in Long Beach — a group comprising members ages 50 and up — when she was only 39 years old. “She was so young that she stood out whenever she played with that band,” Conrad recalled. “There she was playing with these old guys, but she loved it. Everyone could see she really loved it.”

DeVroeg was also one of the original members of the Golden Tone Orchestra, a 20-piece band whose members’ average age is 84. “She wasn’t just one of the few female band members on the band,” said Sid Hausen, of Merrick, its treasurer and agent. “She was the only female instrumentalist with the band, and she was phenomenal. She was a dear friend of mine.”

Hausen’s wife, Barbara, who is one of the few female band members and a vocalist, said that deVroeg “was a fabulous musician, and I miss her very much.”
Bob Ferrari, the Golden Tone Orchestra director, said deVroeg was a friend throughout the 25 years that she was a band member. “She played the alto saxophone, clarinet, piccolo and flute for the band,” Ferrari said. “But she was really well known for her piccolo solo on the ‘Stars and Stripes’ song and for her alto saxophone solos as well.”

DeVroeg’s music inspired people to dance, and her presence brought light to any room, Ferrari said. “As soon as she walked into the room, you knew she was there because she had such a happy and wonderful presence,” he said. “She was so generous, and her spirit was so giving. She will be so missed by a lot of people.”

DeVroeg belonged to the former Kismet Shrine Temple in New Hyde Park and the Order of the Eastern Star at the former Masonic Temple in Bellmore. In her later years, she enjoyed part-time work at the North Merrick Public Library.
DeVroeg is survived by her three children, Vilma R., Ingrid and Conrad Jr., as well as three grandchildren.