Obituary of Richard Walter Van Duyne

Richard Walter Van Duyne, 90, passed at Asbury Health & Rehabilitation Center in Charlotte, NC, on March 1, 2023, following kidney failure. Richard was a loving partner, parent and grandparent, and will be deeply missed. Born November 21, 1932, to Walter Losee and Germaine Van Duyne in Montclair, New Jersey. Richard was predeceased by his parents and brother, Edward. Richard is survived by his life partner, Betty Putnam Lowery, his three daughters, Michele Thomas (Larry), Linda (Dan Ferguson), and Gloria (John Keeffe), Betty’s children, Laura Caistor (Tim) and Paul Lowery, and six grandchildren, Ethan, Joshua and Emily (Rachel) Ferguson, Charlotte and Amelia Caistor, and Jack Keeffe. Richard was a 1954 graduate of Harvard University and served in the U.S. Army, from which he was honorably discharged in 1956 and received the Good Conduct Medal. He worked for many years for IBM in Kingston, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina. He was a lifelong runner and traveler. Once retired from IBM, Richard taught computer classes at Central Piedmont Community College. Richard’s passion after retirement was continuing the genealogical research his father started decades before and which dates back to 1624 when Gerret Cornelissen Van Duyn sailed from the Netherlands on the Eendracht, the Dutch version of the Mayflower, to New Netherlands, which is now New Jersey. Richard’s research and documentation of the Abraham Gerretse Van Duyne line is the most comprehensive to date. His research data can be accessed at the Genealogical Society of New Jersey. Richard had a great sense of humor, never passing up an opportunity to add a clever rejoinder to a joke or pun. Richard was an avid reader and had a wide range of interests. Therefore, he could provide welcome contributions on multiple topics such as etymology, natural science, physics, history, political science, mathematics, and current events. A celebration of Richard’s life will be held on March 25, 2-4 pm, at Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203. A small service will be held at the Salisbury National Military Cemetery in the near future. Richard’s ashes will be interred near his brother’s at that time. For those who would like to make a donation in Richard’s memory, his family suggests the National Kidney Foundation (https://www.kidney.org). Online condolences may be made at www.HankinsandWhittington.com.