Ronald Bailey Van Tassel of Ancram died on Aug. 23. He was 87.
Van Tassel was born on May 15, 1938, to Arthur and Bessie (Madison) Van Tassel of Hillsdale and graduated Roeliff Jansen High School in 1956, whereupon he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He married Clara Boice on Oct. 17, 1959, and moved to Ancram.
He worked for the Kimberly-Clark Corp. at the Ancram papermill for 39 years and then worked for the next 20 years at the Columbia County Transfer Station in Livingston.
Van Tassel is survived by his wife, Clara Van Tassel; five children: Patricia Van Tassel, Stephen (Jean) Van Tassel, Bruce (Melissa) VanTassel, Katrina (Peter Haughie) Van Tassel and Sandra (Allan) Chabot; five grandchildren: Justin (Sarah) VanTassel, Haley (Tommy) Johns, Tess Chabot, Thomas Haughie, and Faye Chabot; four great-grandchildren: Payton, Charlotte, Giada, and Hudson; as well as many nieces and nephews. Five of his siblings, Elizabeth Burch, Arthur Van Tassel, Enus Van Tassel, Reginald Van Tassel and Marguerite O’Brien, all died before him, as did his twin brother, Donald Van Tassel.
Van Tassel was a decorated life member of the Ancram Fire Company and a member of St
John’s Lutheran Church in Ancram, where he served on the church council and was a life
member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
A funeral and celebration of Van Tassel’s life will be held on Aug. 30 at St. John’s Lutheran
Church in Ancram. A reception will begin at 10 a.m. and funeral services will begin at 11 a.m.,
followed by a graveside ceremony at the Ancram Union Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Ancram Fire Company, St
John’s Lutheran Church, or another charity.