The daughter of John Barnabas Shoecraft and Elizabeth Imber Shoecraft, McDevitt was born in
Coldwater, Michigan, but grew up in
Ohio. After attending the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she married Patrick McDevitt on December 10, 1928, McDevitt also acted on radio, portraying the title character's mother in
Keeping up with Rosemary and Jane in
This Life Is Mine. On television, McDevitt portrayed Bessie Thatcher in the
DuMont drama
A Woman to Remember (1949). She played Mom Peepers in the 1950s sitcom
Mister Peepers and Grandma Hanks on
CBS's ''
Pistols 'n' Petticoats. She was a regular on The Everly Brothers Show
and the NBC soap Bright Promise from September 1969 to June 1970. McDevitt also had a regular role as Emily Cowles on Kolchak: the Night Stalker'', starring
Darren McGavin. McDevitt guest starred in such series as
Suspense,
Cosmopolitan Theatre,
Decoy,
The United States Steel Hour,
Westinghouse Studio One,
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (2 episodes)
, The Andy Griffith Show (2 episodes),
The Debbie Reynolds Show,
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,
Mayberry R.F.D.,
I Dream of Jeannie,
Bewitched (3 episodes), ''
The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Love, American Style, That Girl, Nanny and the Professor, Room 222, Mannix (2 episodes), Here's Lucy, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Phyllis, Little House on the Prairie, The Streets of San Francisco, Naked City, and All in the Family'' (on which she had a recurring role during 1974 and 1975). Her film debut was in
The Guy Who Came Back (1951), followed by memorable roles in
The Parent Trap (as camp counselor Miss Inch),
Alfred Hitchcock's
The Birds (as Mrs. MacGruder, the pet store saleslady), ''
Boys' Night Out, Dear Heart, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Angel in My Pocket, The Love God?, Change of Habit, The War Between Men and Women, and Mixed Company''. ==Death==