William G. Van Dyke III, age 78, a lifelong resident of the Madison area passed away Sunday, July 20, 2025. He was born in Madison on September 13, 1946 to William G and Mabel Van Dyke.

He was a graduate of Madison Central High School, Class of 1964, where he played baseball and basketball. He received a scholarship to play basketball at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. After a year in New Mexico, Bill chose to continue athletics and academics at UW–River Falls. There he not only found success in basketball but also met his wife of 57 years, Cheryl Spiers. Before they married, Bill took a short break from college to serve in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He graduated from UW-RF in 1970.

Bill devoted over 30 years to his professional career at Oscar Mayer, working across many departments—starting in Sanitation and ending up in Research and Development. His years there were marked not only by dedication and innovation, but also by coworkers who became lifelong friends.

Bill was a devoted dad who never missed a chance to show support for his kids. He was proud of his children and grandchildren both academically and athletically.

Bill loved sports—whether he was playing them, cheering from the stands, or watching his kids and grandkids. Through sports, he created lasting memories with friends and family. In his later years, he found basketball and softball were too much and he moved on to golf and bowling. Bill was also a big fan of Wisconsin’s teams—the Packers, Badgers, and Brewers. Most of Bill’s friendships were built around sports—he was competitive and loved winning but teammates, partners and having a few laughs was more important than scores. (Seriously, he said that.)

After more than two years of navigating life with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Bill passed away at UW Hospital East.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl; his son, Garrick (Cassy) of Keller, Texas; his daughter, Cydney (Shawn Gherke) of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; and his grandchildren—Anddy, Penny, Rory, and Liam. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Deloris Spiers; brothers-in-law, Bill Spiers (Lavonne) and James Pralle; sister-in-law, Lea Ann Spiers; along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Kay Pralle; and his father-in-law, William (Bill) Spiers.

Thank you to the staff of Home Instead for their patience and skilled care allowing Bill to be at home.

In keeping with his wishes there will be a private family celebration of his life at a later date