James Forrester 'Dyke' VanDyke
James Forrester “Dyke” VanDyke, 100, of Buffalo Township passed away peacefully at 5 a.m. Monday at his home with his wife by his side.
James was born in South Buffalo Township on Dec. 27, 1912. He was the son of the late Mamie (Forrester) and James M. VanDyke.
Dyke was a 1932 graduate of Freeport High School and was a lifetime member of the Freeport United Methodist Church.
He served in the U.S. Marines as a master technical sergeant in the Asiatic-Pacific area during World War II.
He was an electrician at Gulf Research and Development in Harmer, Pa. Jim also had worked at Hoffman Auto Parts and at the Pittsburgh Corning Corp., and he had been the tax collector in Buffalo Township for many years.
He was a member of the Saxonburg American Legion and a past member of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department. In their younger years, he and his wife enjoyed traveling and camping. Dyke had been an avid hunter and has always been very active in his church. He was a master at fixing things and making them better than when they were new. He loved fixing old tractors and enjoyed doing his yard work.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Grace B. (Bartoe) VanDyke; his niece, Evelyn Booth of Gibsonia; four nephews, John Booth of San Antonio, Texas, DeWayne (June) Johnston of Butler, Jerry (Denise) Johnston of Butler and Kevin (Donna) Bartoe of Byron, Ga.; and many great-nieces and great-nephews. He also is survived by his very close friends, Bill and Jane Roth of Valencia and Carolyn Fennell of Buffalo Township and many other loyal friends too numerous to mention.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Katherine E. Van Dyke Booth.
VANDYKE — Family and friends of James Forrester “Dyke” VanDyke, who passed away Monday, April 8, 2013, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today in the Redmond Funeral Home, 524 High St., Freeport.Public visitation will continue from noon until the time of the funeral service at 1 p.m. Friday at the Freeport United Methodist Church, 211 4th St., Freeport, with the Rev. Edd Myers officiating. Burial service with military honors will be in Greenwood Memorial Park, New Kensington, Pa.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Freeport United Methodist Church, 211 4th St. Freeport, PA 16229 or to VNA Hospice, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001.To send a condolence, visit www.redmondfuneralhomeinc.com.
