William T. Vandever, Jr., Ph.D., 82, of South Yarmouth, passed away peacefully after a short illness. He was the husband of Ilka Vandever. Bill’s early years were spent in Pennsylvania, where he graduated from Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia in 1952. He earned his B.S. from Denison University in 1956 and Master’s Degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity in 1959, which he used to become an ordained assistant minister at the Utica Baptist Church. While living and teaching at Alfred University (1970-1976) in upstate New York, Bill completed his Doctoral Degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974. In 1976, Bill moved his family to North Newton, Kansas where he accepted a position as the director of teacher education at Bethel College. Bill taught at Bethel from 1976-1996 and he was passionate about mentoring students and teachers throughout his life. In addition to his professorship, he was an active member of the Rotary Club and elected mayor of North Newton in 1987, which he remained until close to his retirement in 1995. Bill was also actively involved with evaluating and accrediting teacher education departments at universities and colleges across Kansas. In 1996, Bill retired and moved to South Yarmouth to help care for his elderly father. Bill enjoyed living on the Cape and playing Cape Cod senior league softball. He also enjoyed volunteering at the Yarmouth Food Pantry. Bill loved traveling to national parks and visited all 48 contiguous states. He also loved playing with his dog(s) and taking walks. In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by his three sons: Hans, Andreas, and Mark. He also leaves his loving grandchildren; Andrea, Nickolaus, Ryan and Jack (who will dearly miss throwing the baseball with him in the yard); his two sisters: Joan and Martha; and his nieces and nephews.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one's choice.

No Guest Book Entries