Obituary of Phyllis C. Van Dyke

On Saturday, Feb. 20, Phyllis C. Van Dyke slipped from the embrace of her loving family into the arms of her Eternal Father. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect St., South Orange, on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover. Visitation will be at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave., South Orange, on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m., and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Phyllis was born on Sept. 26, 1940, in Ponca City, Okla., to the late Kenneth and Jean (Vance) Carpenter, one of seven dear brothers and sisters. Phyllis spent her early years in Great Bend, Kansas, and had maintained lifelong ties with her close childhood friends. She was a 1962 graduate of Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas, and had lived in Maplewood since 1979. A lover of sports and travel, her greatest love was for family and friends, a love wonderfully repaid in the recent months. Phyllis was the devoted wife of 44 years of Ray Van Dyke, and loving mother of Amy (John) Dinicola, Laura Van Dyke (David Mairo), and Melissa Van Dyke (Walter Toto). She was the totally devoted and loving Gramma of five grandsons, Jack, Luke, Nathan, Donovan, Theodore, and her sixth grandchild due in March. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Barnabas Hospice Care, 95 Old Short Hills Rd., West Orange, N.J. 07052.