Obituary of Edward J. Van Dyne

It is with regret and tremendous sorrow that we announce the death of our father, Edward Johnson Van Dyne. EJ was born in Bath, NY on April 25, 1946. He grew up on the family apple farm in Troy, Pennsylvania, leaving to attend high school at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Following high school, he attended Hanover College in Indiana, earning a bachelor's degree and meeting his first wife, Sheryl Ann Ruhl. EJ and Sheryl would go on to raise two children, Jessica (James) Evans and E. Christopher (Gabbriel) Van Dyne in Lawton, Michigan. EJ started a career of wine making and relocated the family to Suttons Bay, Michigan to work for Leelanau Wine Cellars for many years. Sheryl and EJ eventually divorced. In 1987 he attended Michigan State University where he graduated with a master's degree in social work. He completely changed careers, becoming an addictions counselor, until his retirement in 2015. Ed reunited with a childhood acquaintance who would become the love of his life, Patricia Nearing Whittaker, during a trip home to Troy. After marriage Pattie and EJ settled into an idyllic life in Canandaigua, New York, in a farmhouse surrounded by fields. They were very happy there until Pattie's untimely death in 2011. Life for Ed was never the same after Pattie died. His soul mate had gone, and he carried the weight of permanent sadness. During retirement Ed kept busy. He worked tirelessly for the board of elections for the town of Canandaigua. A lifelong love of flying led him to volunteer many hours at the Geneseo Airport and Warplane Museum. He worked for many years with the Greatest Show on Turf (Geneseo Air Show). Finally, he was a volunteer with Ontario Pathways, clearing the trails of obstacles and debris. Edward leaves behind a grieving son, E. Christopher and daughter Jessica, two grandchildren Cassidy and Rosemary Evans, and his youngest sister Jane (Van Dyne Jerrick). EJ had a rare ability to make and keep life-long friends and is mourned by people from all stages of his life. He is missed beyond measure and our lives will never truly be the same. He was preceded in death by his mother Alice (Johnson); his father Edward Everett Van Dyne; sister Laura and his beloved first and second wives Sheryl and Pattie. Interment in the family plot in Troy, PA, will take place at a later date. To share a memory or express condolences online, please visit www.fullerfh.com