William F. (“Bill”) Van Order, Sr., 71, of Moyock, NC passed away at his home on Monday, May 30, 2016.  Born on September 5, 1944 in Ithaca, NY to John and Mary (Blanchard) Van Order.  He graduated from Ithaca High and attended the State University of New York at Canton and the State University of New York at Oswego where he studied to be a teacher.

In college Bill fell in love with Linda Jane Campbell of Canton, NY.  After college they married, settled in Marietta, NY and had three sons. Bill taught Industrial Arts at Cortland BOCES for several years before taking a job with Chrysler Corporation in Syracuse, NY. Eventually, his job with Chrysler took him to New Orleans, LA where he resided for over a decade before retiring and moving to Bryson City, NC. Recently, Bill and Linda moved to Moyock, NC to be closer to family.

Bill was a passionate, caring family man. Always the life of the party with a joke or a funny story, he loved laughing and making people laugh. He gave freely of himself, always a teacher and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with others. He donated countless hours to charity work including Habitat for Humanity. Bill was a jack of all trades, he enjoyed building furniture and restoring antiques.

He was predeceased by his parents John and Mary Van Order and his sister Mary Van Order of Ithaca, NY. Surviving are his loving wife of 46 years Linda of Moyock, NC; his three sons, William Jr. (Cathy Legnetto) of Marcellus, NY; Jonathan (Sharlene Watkins) of Peoria, IL; and Robert (Chrystal Sawyer) of Virginia Beach, VA; brother John (Josephine) of Freeville, NY, and sisters Dorothy (Steve) Poole of Bryson City, NC; Claire Parker and Carol Van Order both of Raleigh, NC; his grandchildren, Gabriel and Zachary Van Order; Nathan Sawyer and Elizabeth Van Order; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate Bill’s life will be held July 9th at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca, NY for friends and family, and he will be interred in a family plot at Calvary Cemetery. Donations can be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, or American Diabetes Association in memory of William F. Van Order, Sr.