William James Dyke

Bill was a devoted husband, father, and career “Ford man.” After graduating from Sexton High School in 1945 as Valedictorian, he enlisted in the Navy, then returned home to attend Michigan State University on the GI bill. He often drove himself and his brother Frank to campus in his old Model T. It was Frank who introduced Bill to Janice Kellerman of Lansing. They married and became lifelong companions until her death in December 2022.

Bill earned a mechanical engineering degree at MSU and soon joined Ford Motor Company as a design engineer at the Livonia transmission plant. He worked his way up the ranks, retiring as an Executive Engineer in 1990 after 35 years. Bill was awarded two U.S. patents for transmission design. Another highlight of his career was working on the design of an automatic transmission being developed for Ford’s entry in the 1966 Le Mans race of “Ford vs. Ferrari” fame. While his design ultimately was not chosen, he enjoyed traveling to France and meeting race car drivers Mario Andretti, Ken Miles, and A.J. Foyt.

A consummate do-it-yourselfer, Bill finished the work of converting a former factory building in Northville into the family’s longtime home. The family’s cottage on Lake Michigan kept Bill happily occupied too, with remodeling work and construction of jetties to fend off rising lake levels. When their kids were young, Bill and Jan planned many family camping trips. In 1967, they pulled a pop-up tent trailer from Northville to San Francisco and back, camping in dozens of state and national parks.

Known as a “stubborn Dutchman” to those who loved him, Bill was a humble, polite problem-solver with a strong Christian faith who was an active member in both West Locke Wesleyan and Family Life Wesleyan churches. He is survived by his brother Frank Dyke of Rockford, IL; sister Sandy (Dyke) Davis and brother-in-law Denny Davis of Henderson, NV; sister-in-law Leslie (Kellerman) Kelly of Lansing, MI; son Brian Dyke; daughter Karen (Dyke) Reiff and son-in-law Mark Strolle; daughter Paula (Dyke) Detwiller; four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held for Bill at 1 p.m., Friday, October 6, at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Lansing, with a burial to follow.