William Howard Van Dyke

TAZEWELL, Va. – William Howard Van Dyke, age 84, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va.
Born July 25, 1923, at Bluefield, W.Va., he was a son of the late Rufus Oscar (R.O.) Van Dyke and Mary Elizabeth Hubbard Van Dyke. Mr. Van Dyke was a quiet, gentle and unassuming man who had, all of his life, served this community, where he lived most of his life. He attended public schools in Tazewell and graduated from Tazewell High School. His student days at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, now Virginia Tech, were interrupted by World War II. Mr. Van Dyke served in the Pacific Theater as a member of the U.S. Navy. After the war, he returned to VPI (Virginia Tech), where he graduated in 1948 with degrees in both electrical engineering and mining engineering.
After his graduation from VPI, Mr. Van Dyke went to work for General Electric Corp. in Pennsylvania. After several years, during which he lived in both Erie and Philadelphia, he returned to Tazewell, where he joined his father in the coal mining industry as an engineer for the Holston Corp., Swords Creek, Va. His career as an engineer spanned many years. Although retired, he was still associated with the Candlewax Smokeless Fuel Company in Tazewell. He was a lifelong member of the Main Street United Methodist Church, where he taught the men's Bible class. He also served on the board of the church and as president of its men's club, which was a service organization. Mr. Van Dyke served on the Tazewell Town Council for 13 years, was a member of the board of directors of the Bank of Tazewell County for 40 years and served as a trustee for the Hugh MacRae Land Trust Co. He had also worked with Boy Scouts of America. From its conception, he was a driving force in the development and growth of Tazewell Community Hospital. He was a member of the original board of directors for the hospital and served as chairman for 12 years. Mr. Van Dyke was very quiet in all he did and never expected a word of praise.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Edward Ralph Van Dyke.
Survivors include his wife, Suzanne Litz Davis Van Dyke, with whom he resided in the Van Dyke homeplace; three sons, Dr. William H. Van Dyke Jr. and Patricia Gleason of Lynchburg, Va., Dr. Thomas Rufus Van Dyke and wife Ellen Edwards Van Dyke of Damascus, Va., and Dr. James Luther Van Dyke and wife Gail Ilse Van Dyke of Lynchburg; two daughters, Mary Sue Van Dyke Niles and husband Dr. Robert L. Niles of Cary, N.C., and Margaret Anne Van Dyke Warren and husband John Gregory Warren of Winston-Salem, N.C.; 21 grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Elizabeth Van Dyke of Greensboro, N.C., and Virginia Mae Van Dyke Kinney of Tazewell, Va., and Bradenton, Fla.; and two brothers, Claude Harrison Van Dyke and wife Bettye of Tazewell, Va., and Dr. R.O. Van Dyke Jr. and wife Bonnie of Orlando, Fla.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008, at the Main Street United Methodist Church in Tazewell, with the Rev. Kathie Wilson-Parker and Dr. Thomas A. Conley officiating. Burial will follow at the Maplewood Cemetery in Tazewell.
Pallbearers will be George Van Dyke, Mike Brooks, Jimmy Van Dyke, Heath Van Dyke, Danny Surface, Nikola Hrabar, William Hart Jr. and Bobby Brittain. Honorary pallbearers will be Adam Niles, Bill T. Peery, Dick Royall, Bob White, Bill Jackson, Dr. Ned Litz, David G. Altizer, George Williams, Jack Chambers, Dr. Stephen Rinehart and Dick Rauscher.
The family will receive friends at Peery & St. Clair Funeral Home in Tazewell from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, 2008.
Memorial donations may be made to Four Seasons Wellness Center of Tazewell Community Hospital, P.O. Box 625, Tazewell, VA 24651; or to Main Street United Methodist Church, 315 E. Main St., Tazewell, VA 24651.