Obituary of John B. Van Dyke

Funeral services for Mr. John. B. Van Dyke, 66, of Arnolds Park, Iowa and Chattanooga, Tennessee, will be 10:30 am, Saturday, November 5, 2016, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Interment will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 5 pm. Friday, November 4, 2016, with the family present from 5 - 7 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Memorials may be directed to Vanderbilt University Hematology Helping Hands Fund, First Presbyterian Church of Spirit Lake, First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville or Camp Foster YMCA. John Bryan Van Dyke, the son of Percella (Bergeson) and Garrett Van Dyke, was born February 8, 1950 in Orange City, Iowa. After his graduation in 1968 from Spirit Lake High School, he graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1972. John was a proud member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and my Brothers in the Bond. John lived in various places including Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Minnesota before moving back to Spirit Lake. He later resided in Parker, Colorado, Knoxville, Tennessee, Dubuque, Iowa and Arnolds Park, Iowa. John was married to Lauren Schaefer in 1990. He attended the Faith Presbyterian Church in Minnetonka, Minnesota, served as elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake and was co-chairman for the First Presbyterian Church Building finance campaign. John was active in several congregations including Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Christ Covenant Church in Farragut, Tennessee and First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. John also served on the Spirit Lake School Board from 1997-2000. John worked his entire life in the insurance industry. He began his career in Aetna Life & Casualty in Hartford, Connecticut and Reading, Pennsylvania. He later moved to Minneapolis and became CEO and Chairman at BHK&R, President of Intersure and Area Chairman of Arthur J. Gallagher. In 2006, John joined Cottingham & Butler and was currently serving as Vice President. John enjoyed downhill skiing, golf and boating. He closely followed the Southeastern Conference, and was an avid fan of the Tennessee Volunteers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lynx. John passed away Saturday, October 29, 2016 at his home in Arnolds Park. John is survived by his wife, Lauren Van Dyke; daughters, Lindsay Van Dyke, Kelsey (Ryan) Conant and Grace Van Dyke; grandchildren, Anthony Michael and Benjamin John; sister, Gail Dobbins; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Dawn Schaefer; several nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles and aunts and their families; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Richard and Linda Hoehne. He was preceded in death by his parents, Garrett J. and Percella M. Van Dyke and brother-in-law, E. Michael Dobbins.