Ray Vandyke

Ray VanDyke, 73, of Thomson, Il, Vietnam Veteran and loving husband, died June 10, 2016 at Mercy Medical Center, Clinton, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 16, 2016, at Law-Jones Funeral Home, Thomson, with Pastor Paul Fritz officiating. Burial will take place in the Lower York Cemetery, Thomson. Visitation will be held from 3:00-6:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at the funeral home. A memorial fund has been established in Ray’s memory.
Ray was born June 28, 1942 in Morrison, Illinois, the son of Ralph and Jennie (Rose) Van Dyke. He attended Morrison High School. He married Sharon Schieder on December 7, 1963, in Milledgeville. In Ray’s younger years, he worked at the Byvicks Filling Station in Milledgeville as an attendant, and later went on to work at the Chadwick Cheese Factory hauling milk. He also hauled feed for Lloyd Sterling in Coleta, Illinois. In April of 1968, Ray was drafted into the United States Army and proudly served his country for two years in Vietnam. When he returned from overseas he went back to work, driving straight truck for Moorman Feed in Davis Junction, Illinois, retiring after 30 years of service.
In his spare time, Ray enjoyed being outdoors. He loved doing carpentry work and building decks. Most of all, Ray cherished spending time with his family, especially his nieces and nephews.
Ray will be dearly missed by his wife of 53 years, Sharon, of Thomson; a sister, Louis Kaufman of Chadwick; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Mable Prins and Evelyn Mowry; and two nephews, Roger Tornow and David Kaufman.