Sheila Van Dyke, a woman of deep faith who had a gift for making close friends wherever she went, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2025, at her home in Pinehurst, NC, after an illness. Born in Malone, NY, she was the daughter of the late Benjamin and Irene Bregman. Sheila graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s in English, and served as a high school and middle school English teacher in Georgia, Massachusetts, and Malone. She returned to her hometown in the 1960s with her husband at the time, Charles Morgo (deceased), who joined the Bregman family business, Tru-Stitch Footwear.
Sheila gave up teaching to become a devoted mother to her two daughters, Esther and Jennifer. She threw herself into supporting their activities and was ever-willing to make a herculean effort. A skilled seamstress and decorator, she would spend hours stitching imaginative Halloween costumes – Pinocchio and Geppetto was a prize winner – or outfits for school and special occasions. When Jennifer needed advanced lessons on the violin, she made a round-trip drive of five hours every week to a renowned teacher in Ontario, and she made the excursions fun. She was an energetic and effective volunteer, serving as a leader of the Malone Arts Council, which brought the Montreal Symphony and other top-tier artists to perform in the rural Adirondack town; a creator of artistic, sought-after crafts to sell at the hospital’s fundraising bazaar; a Sunday School teacher at the town’s only synagogue, Temple Beth El, where her father led services; and a founder of a youth orchestra to serve string players in the growing Suzuki program. Friends who shared her passion for volunteering were often on the phone or stopping by the kitchen to plan events.
A family move to Grand Rapids, MI, launched her on a new and successful career as a realtor; she brought a passion to the work of finding the “perfect house” for every client, treating each one as a friend, as she learned their life stories and dreams for the future. After her first marriage ended in divorce, she fell in love with and married Michigan native Robert “Bob” Van Dyke, who was always ready to embark on adventures (such as power boating in the Great Lakes), dance with her, enjoy dinner parties with friends, and keep her laughing. Her remarriage also prompted her conversion to Christianity, a spiritual transformation that she considered paramount. In Pinehurst, she and Bob were devoted members of Community Presbyterian Church, where she wore a million hats: She served on the mission and membership committees; organized church luncheons and led a casserole ministry; and served for decades as a teacher and participant in Stephen Ministry, which trains lay people to provides one-to-one Christian counseling to people experiencing difficulty or loss. She was most passionate about the church’s outreach to help disadvantaged youth in Pinehurst, spending countless joyful hours as an academic tutor, a director of arts and crafts camps, and organizer of an expedition to the North Carolina Museum of Art. After Bob’s death in 2020, she formed a lunch group to provide support for those who had lost their spouses. She also was an active member of the Pinehurst Garden Club for 23 years, serving in a variety of roles, and an ardent member of a Book Club that met for more than two decades. A lifelong dog lover, she was accompanied in her many doings in Pinehurst by Simba, her loyal border collie; he was even featured with her in the church directory’s photo, which delighted her, since he often came with her to Bible study and committee meetings.
Through all of her volunteering, she kept a focus on her family, and was a proud and loving “Gram” to her three grandchildren: Melissa Rothman (Seth) of Jersey City; Benjamin Diskin (Haley) of Denver; and Gabriella Diskin of Baltimore. She maintained active email exchanges with lifelong friends and with her younger sister, Cyd Sieghart (Josef) of Greenwich, CT, and regular, discursive phone calls with her daughters, Esther Diskin (Glenn) of Virginia Beach, VA; Jennifer Morgo of Riva del Garda, Italy; and her stepson, Craig Van Dyke of Grand Rapids. The family would like to thank her many church friends; her neighborhood friends of Pinehurst No. 6; and the many kind and skilled caregivers at First Health Hospice and Comfort Keepers, whose support kept her final days full of light and who became her friends. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 17, at 4 PM at Community Presbyterian Church, 125 Everette Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church.
Online condolences may be made at www.BolesFuneralHome.com
Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Pinehurst.
