JD related that in his younger days he had a very short temper(probabl y caused by older brothers who loved to torment anyonesmaller) and he a lways carried a lead pipe, ball bat, or brick, asprotection. Teachers h abitually kept him after school, until about4:30, to allow the other c hildren time to reach home safely. Once henarrowly missed one of the b rothers when he swung at him but missedand shattered the screen door i nstead. JD feels his brother wouldhave died had he taken the blow. T oday, JD is a milder person, ishealth and weight conscious, taking dai ly walks of several miles,regardless of the weather, and controlling h is diet.
Following the death of his father, JD assumed the role of familypatria rch, not only for his parent's family but for his Aunt Ella andStanley W alker and the Arthur family, as well. He was the firstperson called i n case of emergency, sometimes even before emergencypersonnel, his adv ice was sought before major decisions andcommunication among the famil y often flowed through him.
Residences & events:
8/1938 Mattoon, Coles Co, IL, was his sole residence except for hisser vice time. JD went to work at the Midcontinent Map Co andcontinued t here for the next 10 years, with a short hiatus while inthe Air Force.
4/20/1940 817 S 18th St, Mattoon, Coles Co, IL. Recorded in thatcens us wereJoseph Van Gundy, 20, and Dorothy, 18. The home was arental fo r $15/mo, Joseph was a blue printer at a map company. Hehad worked 52 w eeks in 1939 and made $600 over the past 12 months.
6/19/1940 214 1/2 S 17th St, Mattoon, Coles Co, IL, where son, Dale,w as born. (This address is probabl
1940 Mattoon, IL The City Directory that year said:
Van Gundy D W r 304 N 22nd (phone)2304
Van Gundy Joe D (Dorothy E) emp Mid-Continent Map Co h2805 Richmond
Van Gundy Robt E (Edna P) 5 H(in circle) mldr h1612 Prairie (ph)3271
Van Gundy Robt E clk Piggly-Wiggly r1612 Prairie (ph)3271
Van Gundy Wm A platformn mn Ry Exp Agcy r1612 Prairie (ph)3271
1942 Same place. That City Directory had:
Van Gundy Jos D (Dorothy) 1 blue printer Mid-Continent Map Co h3108Ric hmond
Van Gundy Maxine r1612 Prariie
Van Gundy Robt E (Edna) 4 H mldr h1612 Prairie (ph)2513
12/17/1943 2805 Richmond was the address listed when JD was inducteda nd ordered to Ft Sheridan, IL, to begin active duty in the US AirForce .
San Antonio, TX, was their residence while he was in Air Force Cadettr aining but the war came to a close too soon for him to see action.
11/10/1945 Rantoul, IL. JD was discharged from the Air Force atChanu te Air Force Base.
12/1948 He quit the Map Co to start as a US Postal Clerk, eventuallyb eing in charge of vehicle maintenance in addition to other duties.He o ften worked at various other jobs through the years, inconjunction wit h the post office, such as delivering produce orfreight.
820 N 20th, Mattoon, IL, where they bought their first house. Yearsla ter, daughter, Phyllis, would live across the street from them.
His photo was in the paper along with the caption: "Joseph D.VanGundy ...is presented a certificate of recognition for a suggestionin improv ed mail handling by Palmer G. Boyle, field service officerof the Chica go regional office. The certificate, presented on behalfof
Postmaster General J Edward Day, was accompanied by a $50 cash award.T his is the first such award presented to an employe of the localpost o ffice in connection with the suggestion program which has beenin effec t for several years." That suggestion was the precursor forzip codes, n ow a nationwide necessity. However, a law professor who
became Postmaster General in 1961 was credited with the idea of zipcod es.
1958 The newspaper also carried the story of an extended vacation thef amily took: "Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Van Gundy and children, Dale,Phyllis a nd Barbara, and Mrs. R.E. Van Gundy (his mother) havereturned to their h omes in this city after a month's trip to the westcoast." It continue d by listing the itinerary and relatives theyvisited along the way and e nded by saying they had traveled 7000miles.
7/6/1971 Another news photo and caption which said JD was holding then ew eight-cent commomorative stamp honoring the inauguration of thenew f ederal system for operating the mail service.
1976 He retired from the Post Office at age 57 but continued to workp art time at a local vending company where he reconciled accounts andco unted collections.
820 N 21st, Mattoon, IL. As the children left home, they found thehou se too big so they moved to another house in the sameneighborhood, thi s time across the street from daughter, Barbara.
2717 Oak, Mattoon, IL. After the last child married, they moved to ane ven smaller home, all on ground level.
Following the second marriage, he quit all jobs and devoted his timeto f ishing and visiting with friends and relatives at localrestaurants.
Joseph Van Gundy
MATTOON - Joseph "JD" Van Gundy of Mattoon passed away at 12:55 p.m.Thursday (June 26, 2014) at his residence.
Funeral services honoring his life will begin at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jun30, 2014, at the First Baptist Church, Mattoon, with Pastor DennisStrawn officiating. Burial with military rites will follow at DodgeGrove Cemetery. Visitation for family and friends will be from 5-8p.m. Sunday, John 29, 2014, at the First Baptist Church.
JD was born on Dec. 9, 1919, in Morocco, Ind., the son of Robert andEdna (Powell) Van Gundy. He married Dorothy Arthur on Oct. 23, 1939.She preceded him in death on Aug. 22, 1992. He later married Delores"Dodie" Crevistan on May 7, 1996.
Survivors include his loving wife of 18 years, Delores "Dodie" VanGundy of Mattoon; daughter-in-law, Jane Van Gundy of Raleigh, N.C.;daughters, Phyllis (Steve) McClellan of Mattoon, Barbara (Bob) Buckleyof Mattoon and Terri (Mark) Wetzel of Savoy; stepchildren, Tim(Angela) Diltz of Naples, Fla, Lori (Mike) Collings of Mattoon and Lee(Laura ) Diltz of Mattoon; 14 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren,seven great-great-grandchildren and eight stepgrandchildren; siblings,Maxine Arthur of Mattoon, Jack (Linda) Van Gundy of Lady Lake, Fla,and Doris Webb of Lerna; sisters-in-law, Madonna Thomas and RosalieBranson, both of Mattoon; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-niecesand great-nephews.
JD was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Edna Van Gundy;son, Dale Van Gundy; stepson, Rob Diltz; four brothers; and fivesisters.
JD served honorably in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Heworked for the U.S. Postal Service as a clerk/truck fleet supervisorand retired in 1978,. After retirement, he was a part-time employeeat Cater Vend.
He had a passion for fishing with his family and loved to walk fromone end of town to the other. JD was a member of the First BaptistChurch for over 60 years. He was very active in the church,especially enjoyed volunteering as the "main" dishwasher for the JoyGivers Circle and was a dedicated member of the Kupples Class. JD hasbeen a pillar of strength to his entire family. God and family camefirst to JD.
Memorial donations in his honor may be given to First Baptist Church.
JD Van Gundy JG-TC.com July 02, 2014 2:47 pm
MATTOON -- The funeral for Joseph “JD” Van Gundy was Monday at FirstBaptist Church in Mattoon with the Revs. Dennis Strawn and DougMcClellan officiating. Burial with military honors was at Dodge GroveCemetery in Mattoon. Schilling Funeral Home in Mattoon was in chargeof arrangements.
Soloist Ardys Carpenter sang “O What A Day That Will Be.” SoloistLynzie Buckley sang “How Great Thou Art.” An organ and piano duet of“Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” was performed by Ardys Carpenter andCarol Mausehund.
Military honors were conducted by the V.F.W. Post 4325. Participatingmembers were: Detail Commander, Dana Denny; Chaplain, Ed Davis;Bugler, Harold Campbell; Color Guard, Daryl Carman, Tom Burcham;Legion Flag, Mike Weaver; Firing Squad Commander, John Protz; FiringSquad, Wayne Cox, Eric Debault, Mike Sullivan, Gene Hampson, GeneCrean, Ed Brick, Tim Bennett; Unit Flag, Bill Thornton and POW-MIAFlag, Walter Ratliff.
The pallbearers were Todd Van Gundy, Sean Van Gundy, Brian Van Gundy,Cory Buckley, Tim St. John, Glenn Beals, Chris Kloeppel and ToddScott.
Mr. Van Gundy, 94, of Mattoon died June 26, 2014, at his residence.
