DePree was born in 1870. In 1906, working in Holland, he invented a fumigator that used formaldehyde. Then, he opened his own drug store on the corner of Central Avenue and Eighth Street.
Affectionately known as “Dickie the Druggist,” Van Bree was a pharmacist, merchandiser and landlord. His first drug store was located in a two-story building near the southwest corner of Main Avenue and present-day S. Elm Street.