GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Helen DeVos, West Michigan philanthropist and wife of Amway co-founder and Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos, died Wednesday, Oct. 18.

DeVos, who was 90, died of complications from a stroke following a recent diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia at her Ada home, not far from the renown Grand Rapids children's hospital that bears her name.

"While we grieve her passing, we rejoice in her new life in heaven and are grateful for the countless ways she blessed our lives. We are comforted in knowing that she was welcomed home into the loving arms of Jesus," her family said in a statement released early Thursday morning, Oct. 19.

"We will never forget her unfailing love, strength and devotion that were truly the heart of our family."

DeVos is survived by her husband, four children, 16 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced later today, a family spokeswoman said.

A generous philanthropist, DeVos was particularly devoted to causes involving children and music.

Her children, Dick, Dan, Cheri and Doug, honored her passion by being the lead donors in the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, which opened in 2011.

She was also mother-in-law of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and designer Pamella Roland.

Even as the success of Amway made her family one of the richest in the state, DeVos remained grounded, said her youngest son, Doug DeVos.

"It didn't really impact her, as far as who she was. She was who she was. I think that was faith-based," the Amway president told MLive in a previous interview.

She saw the money as a tool to support causes close to her heart. The DeVos family has given away more than $1.2 billion over the years, a majority of the donations coming from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.

One of her loves was music, which began as a child when she learned to play the piano. For decades, DeVos has been a major benefactor of the Grand Rapids Symphony and St. Cecilia. She served on the boards of both Grand Rapids organizations.

The only child of George and Wilma Burggraaff Van Wesep, DeVos was born Feb. 24, 1927 in Grand Rapids.

She graduated from Frankfort High School in 1943 after her family moved to the Northern Michigan community when she was a teenager. She attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, earning a degree in education.

She married Rich DeVos in 1953. The couple met seven years earlier when Rich DeVos and a friend spotted DeVos and her best friend walking in southeast Grand Rapids, and offered them a ride.

It was a short ride to a house a block away but enough time for Rich to get the quiet young woman's name and number from her friend. He wrote about that first meeting in his most recent book, "Simply Rich: Life and Lessons from the Cofounder of Amway."

Their first date was an airplane ride around Grand Rapids on a beautiful, clear Sunday afternoon. Their romance didn't take root until a few years later when Rich ran into her on a dock and offered her a boat ride.

"That encounter made me want to see Helen again, and this time I realized I had fallen in love with her. By the end of that year we were talking marriage," he wrote.

On her 25th birthday, Rich proposed.

After the wedding, the couple moved to Ada, next door to Jay and Betty Van Andel. At the time, Rich and Jay were Nutrilite distributors. DeVos left her teaching job to begin working with her husband and support the business in their basement that would grow into Amway.

DeVos and Betty Van Andel have been described as the hidden partners of the direct sales giant.

Oldest son Dick DeVos recalled his mom being very centered on the family when they were growing up. Although his dad traveled a lot, he never felt the absence emotionally.

"There was no question her role was critical in terms of keeping things going on the family front. She was very much the day-to-day chief operating officer of the family," Dick DeVos told MLive.

He remembers his mom being a quiet counselor and adviser to his father.

"While their relationship took the appearance of a more traditional form, they always had I think a more modern relationship in that regard," Dick DeVos said. "He had enormous respect for her wisdom and her judgment and her advice. To that extent, it was very much a partnership."

DeVos was the rock in the family, added the couple's only daughter, Cheri DeVos.

"My dad wouldn't have been nearly as successful if not for her," she said in a previous interview. "She is extremely capable, smart and strong. She particularly strong in a crisis."

Early in their marriage, DeVos insisted that the young couple begin tithing. Motivated by the idea to not only give but serve, the couple devoted their time and talents to many causes.

Over the decades, they gave millions of dollars away, principally through their foundation. Their benevolence supported music, the arts, education, health care, churches, food banks, guilds and service clubs.

Their commitment to philanthropy stemmed from their Christian faith.

"It comes back to their belief that what they are given is not theirs, but they should be good stewards," Cheri DeVos said.

Her passion projects were the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and fostering Christian education.

In recognition of the couple's generous donations to a number of major projects, they received the William E. Simon Prize in Philanthropic Leadership in 2006.

They were co-recipients of the Hillman Award from the Alliance for Health in 2012, Clare Boothe Luce Award from The Heritage Foundation in 2010, the Distinguished Citizens Award from the Gerald R. Ford Boy Scouts Council in 2003 and the Grand Rapids Arts Council Award in 1978.

Among her many accolades was the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarians Award in 2005 and a Distinguished Women's Award from Northwood University in 1993.

Being a mom and grandparent were roles she cherished the most.

"I think her view of a grandmother is to really support the parents. I don't know that she stops being a mom - in a very gracious, very supportive way," Doug DeVos said.