Mrs. Dorothy Van Wyk, age 97, of Orange City, passed away on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at the Orange City Area Health System Hospital.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday; May 2, 2009, at 2:00pm, at the Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Jonathan Opgenorth will officiate. Interment will be prior to the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. There will be a prayer service on Saturday, at 1:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Visitation will be after 4:00pm on Friday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the funeral home.

Dorothy Lois was born on December 14, 1911, in Burslem, England, the daughter of The Rev. Dr. Ernest and Francis (Jennings) Parkes. As a young child, she moved to the United States. They lived in South Dakota, where her father was a Presbyterian pastor for many years. After graduating from college, she was a school teacher for fifteen years.

On June 17, 1942, Dorothy married Lawrence Van Wyk in Langford, South Dakota. During their fifty years of marriage, they lived in El Paso, Texas, Denison, Iowa, and Orange City. Lawrence passed away on October 21, 1992. Dorothy was a resident of the Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Community in Orange City for the past ten years.

As an active member of the Trinity Reformed Church, she was involved in various organizations and as a Sunday school teacher. She was also a strong supporter of the Orange City community, especially Northwestern College.

She loved spending time with her daughters and their families. Dorothy's positive spirit and enthusiasm for life will be remembered by those who knew her.

Survivors include her four daughters, Marilyn, and her husband, Arlan Draayer, of West Okoboji; Carol Van Wyk, of Lawrence, Kansas; Pat, and her husband, George De Vries III, of Sioux Center; and Judy, and her husband, Daniel Meylink, Sr., of Lake Mills, Wisconsin; eight grandchildren and their spouses, Brian and Lonna Draayer, Doug and Susanne Draayer, Jeffrey and Jill Schemper, Jodi and Glenn Lutjens, Jessica De Vries, Jenny and Casey Weerheim, Daniel and Katie Meylink, Jr., and Scott Meylink; twelve great-grandchildren; and a sister, Marjorie Davis, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In addition to her husband, Dorothy was preceded in death by two brothers, Cyril Parkes and Colin Parkes; a sister, Mary Vickers; and a grandson, Ross Benjamin Meylink.

Memorials may be directed to the Trinity Reformed Church Building Fund and Northwestern College.