William "Bill" Van Dusen Jr.

William (Bill) Van Dusen Jr., age 94, of Indialantic, FL, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2025, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was born on July 10, 1930, in Karachi, India (now Pakistan).
Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 67 years, Patricia; his sons William, Robert, and Peter; and his grandson Matthew. He is survived by his daughters Roberta and Alison; sons John (Karen) and Michael (Jill); grandchildren Briana (Michael Moore), Jessica, Michael, London, William, Lillian, and Quinten; great-granddaughter Amelia; and his cousin Pat, who was like a little sister to him.
Bill was born to expatriate parents living in Karachi, where his father served as general manager for Standard Oil in the region. He lived in Karachi until the age of 10, at which point he returned to the United States to attend the Peddie School in New Jersey. Summers and school vacations were spent with his aunts-Nana, Rita, Mildred, and Lenore-in Jackson Heights, New York.
After graduating from Peddie, Bill attended Brown University in Providence, RI. It was there, over an innocent cup of coffee, that he met Patricia Louise Owen, a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. Their courtship lasted several years, and they married in 1954.
Later in 1954, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a First Lieutenant. After completing basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and meteorology training at MIT, he was stationed in England. While there, Bill and Patricia welcomed their first two children, Roberta and Billy.
Following his honorable discharge from the Air Force, Bill moved the family to South Bend, Indiana, to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. There, he and Patricia added three more children to their growing brood: Bobby, Johnny, and Alison. Upon earning his doctorate, Bill accepted a position at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where their final two children, Michael and Peter, were born.
In 1964, Bill took a position at the Kennedy Space Center, prompting the family to relocate to Indialantic, Florida. That legendary cross-country trip remains a favorite in family lore-with all nine members arriving intact. Within two years, the family settled into their forever home on Oak Ridge Drive, where Bill and Pat lived for the rest of their lives. The two became staples of the neighborhood, known for their daily three-mile walks to the Indialantic boardwalk.
Bill spent 31 years at the Kennedy Space Center, holding various engineering roles with Southern Research, Bendix, and Rockwell. He was a proud contributor to the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. His distinguished career earned him several accolades, including the Silver Snoopy Award (presented by astronaut Michael J. Smith), the NASA Award of Merit, the STS Achievement Award, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Presidential Commission investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.
An avid outdoorsman, Bill loved fishing, crabbing, and shrimping in the local waterways. He even turned this passion into a side business, building and selling crab and shrimp traps throughout the area. Above all, Bill was a dedicated family man. Family vacations were spent in a large canvas tent in the springs of North Florida or in the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. He was active in Boy Scouts, Little League Baseball, and SBAA Basketball; rarely missing a game, recital, or scholastic event involving his children.
In his retirement years, Bill gave back to the community by volunteering with Health First Hospice, doing computer data entry, and-alongside his daughter Roberta-delivering medications to homebound patients. More recently, Bill and his daughter Alison provided medical appointment transportation for those in need throughout Brevard County. Bill cherished the social connection, sharing empathy and his own life experiences with their passengers.
A lifelong sports enthusiast, Bill was a devoted fan of the Green Bay Packers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was rare to see him without a hat, T-shirt, or sweatshirt proudly displaying his team loyalty.
A Celebration of Life for Bill will be held at the Melbourne Beach Community Center (507 Ocean Avenue, Melbourne Beach, FL) on Saturday, June 7th, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bill's name to either Daily Bread or the South Brevard Sharing Center.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Brownlie & Maxwell Funeral Home, 1010 Palmetto Avenue, Melbourne, FL.