Van Dyne McCutcheon
Submitter: Margaret Lauterbach
Deceased: Van Dyne McCutcheon
Country: United States
State: Colorado
Newspaper: The Daily Camera
DateOfObituary: 10/24/2006
DateOfDeath: October 2006
Line: Unknown
Obituary
Van Dyne McCutcheon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and while growing up enjoyed floating trips in the Ozarks with his parents and his brother John. He graduated from Kenyon College in 1952. After his tour of duty in the army (protecting the Panama Canal during the Korean War), he went to New York to begin a training program with Merrill Lynch. It was there that he met his future wife, Priscilla Brown. He started work as a stock broker, but moved into a career in international finance. In 1961, upon hearing President Kennedy's call, "ask . . . what you can do for your country," he headed to Washington D.C. His interest in helping the world inspired him to a career in international development, both in government and the private sector. He joined the Agency for International Development, which led to a two-year tour in Bogota, Colombia. He then spent eight years in Miami in the field of international banking before returning to Washington and several more government positions that took him around the world. He rejoined AID and he and Priscilla headed to Cairo, Egypt, for another adventure. After searching the country for the right location, the McCutcheons retired in 1990 to Boulder, finding here the beauty, serenity and open-mindedness Van so craved. He loved the mountains and never lost the sense of awe he got when he first saw them. He spent countless hours hiking with his buddies and driving the back roads in winter watching the raptors. As a confirmed liberal, Van was immediately at home with the prevailing attitudes in this unique town. He believed that he should give back to his community, and volunteered to gather food for EFAA, deliver meals for Meals on Wheels, help with the Audubon bird count, monitor the Audubon bluebird houses at Walker Ranch, and serve on the Graduate School Advisory Council. Van was a man of strong principles. He believed deeply in the promise of this country and loved to speculate on its political turns. He valued friendships and discussing ideas with close friends. A friend from his Tuesday morning coffee group recently said, "Van doesn't speak often, but when he does, everybody listens." He was considered by many who knew him as the "wise old man" who always sought to understand the underlying and hidden causes of events, and he brought a deeply reflective insight to any conversation. Van's family and friends will miss him greatly. Van is survived by Priscilla, his wife of fifty years, his son Daniel of Boulder, his daughter Elizabeth of Boulder, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of Van's life will be held on Friday, October 27, at 4 p.m. in the Assembly Room of Frasier Meadows Manor, 350 Ponca Place. A reception will follow. Contributions can be made to the Emergency Family Assistance Association, 900 Arapahoe, Boulder, CO 80302; the People's Clinic, 3303 North Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304; or Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, 950 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203.
