Dorothy Leona Van Nice

Dorothy L. Van Nice (nee Costley) passed away suddenly, quickly and painlessly in her sleep on Tuesday, 9 October 2018. Loving and beloved, Dee was a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and friend. She is survived by her husband Bob , children Dan (Lynne), Amy and Rob, granddaughters Jasmine, Yesenia and Desiree, brother Dave (Sharon), thirteen nieces and nephews, most with their own extended families, and Bob's sister Molly. She was predeceased by her parents Jessie and Dave Costley, and by her brother Bob and his wife Hilary. Dee graduated St. Augustine's in Culver City and, as a Class of 1961 pioneer, St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey. She attended Santa Monica City College but turned to the working world, eventually joining Hughes Aircraft Company where she and Bob met in the Hughes International organization. Highly competent and respected, Dee became an executive assistant to senior corporate leadership. A lengthy, 12-country business trip in 1975 led to the family moving to Brussels, Belgium in 1978 for what became a 6 1/2-year residency. Traveling widely and sampling many different cuisines enabled Dee to become a wondrous cook. The entire family enjoyed her remarkable ability, and she continued this interest for the rest of her life, gladly sharing tips, thoughts and recipes with anyone interested. Dee loved children and she understood that education was the key to their eventual success in life. She worked tirelessly as a volunteer at the various schools our children attended in Belgium and the U.S., striving to help improve each one, and encouraging all the students she knew as a continuing and deliberate contribution to improving the future. Dee also loved animals; petting, feeding and nurturing all she met, and rescuing many. She loved working crossword puzzles and became a whiz at solving word jumbles. Dee was kind, interested, interesting, compassionate, informed, engaged, opinionated and friendly. The world is better because she was here--now it falls to those of us who knew and loved her to be guided by our memories of her to continue the path she illuminated. She will be greatly missed by many. A Funeral Service will be held 10:00AM on October 26, 2018 at The Historic Church, Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes. Then there will be A Celebration of Life on the Cove Terrace at Terranea starting at 11:30AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a charity in Dee's memory. Several of her favorites, listed merely in alphabetical order, are Doctors without Borders, Long Beach Rescue Mission, Los Angeles Mission and No-Kill Los Angeles (nkla.org)(animal protection/care services).