HENRY JON VAN HASSEL (HANK)
Henry John Van Hassel (Hank), born May 2, 1933, and raised on the “mean streets” of Paterson, N.J., died Oct. 22, 2020.
In his own words, “I was big enough to beat up anyone who was fast enough to catch me and fast enough to out-run anyone who could beat me up.”
He graduated early from Paterson Central High School, was “Man of the Year” at Maryville College in 1954, where he received his B.A. in English. He immediately joined the U.S. Army and served in the aftermath of the Korean War.
In 1960 he married Ann Newell Wiley of Heiskell, when he was in dental school and Ann had recently left her position as Maryville College’s first admissions counselor and was teaching. He received degrees from the University of Maryland (D.D.S.) and the University of Washington (M.S. and Ph.D in physiology). He was honored to receive the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from each of these three institutions.
He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and interned at the USPHS Hospital in San Francisco, then was stationed at the USPHS Hospitals in Boston and Seattle. He completed his residency in endodontics at the University of Washington and was a professor at U.W. before becoming chairman of the Department of Endodontics at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
In 1984 he was named Dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of Oregon’s Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, where he also became a vice president, and also served as President of the Oregon Dental Association. He was a Diplomate of the American Association of Endodontists, served as President of the AAE and was editor of the Journal of Endodontics for many years. He authored many articles in scientific journals and contributed chapters to several books as well as co-authoring two. He was the recipient of every distinguished award possible from his professional organizations.
He was a fine athlete and gym rat, who until recently went twice a day to bike, treadmill, and lift weights. He played racquetball competitively and he and Ann ran in many road races in Seattle, Baltimore, and Portland.
He had a brilliant mind and could quote the Bible, Shakespeare, and myriad other poets at the drop of a hat. He could sing hundreds of old pop songs and hymns, mostly and sadly off-key. He had a wonderful sense of humor and told fantastic stories about boot camp at Fort Dix, N.J., and his experiences in the hundreds of jobs he had putting himself through school.
He was a gifted teacher and many of his grad students had kept in touch with him over the years. He was Ann’s “ready reference” source when they were doing the New York Times and Wall Street Journal crosswords. He could do math in his head faster than most people could get out their calculators. He thought deeply about theological questions and was a great admirer of C.S. Lewis. His Christian faith was very important to him. His speech was liberally laced with colorful language, which he tried to tone down in his later years—not always successfully.
He was proud of his Dutch heritage and was raised in the Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches. He found a loving home at St. Mark United Methodist Church in Clinton, and leaves many friends there, as well as at First Baptist Church’s Family Life Center in Clinton, where he was an almost daily visitor at their fitness facility until a few months ago.
Hank embraced Ann’s Southern background and her family as his own. When he retired as Dean in 1998, he and Ann returned to her family home in Heiskell. This Yankee city boy loved East Tennessee and living out in the country, and knew that he had the best friends and neighbors in the world. Not too long ago, he wrote his own obituary. It was 16 lines long. He deserved more. He got it.
He is survived by: Wife, Ann Wiley Van Hassel, and cherished members of her family; Jeanette Wiley McMaster, Mary Wiley McWhorter (Bill), Karen Lunde Wiley Young (Mike), Bruce, Karla, Lindsay, and Kasey McMaster, Jane (McMaster), Dan and Ben Clemons, Catherine (McMaster), Paul, Anne, and Rachel Pietrow, Elizabeth (McWhorter), John, Ethan, Allison, and Madeline Bridger, Andrea Wiley, Josh, Rachel, Noah, Heidi, and Burks Wiley.
He was preceded in death by: Parents, Ina Sturr and William Cornelius Van Hassel of Paterson, N.J.; Ann’s parents, Mildred Newell and Eugene Fulton Wiley of Heiskell; beloved “brother,” David Lee Wiley; and brother-in-law and friend, William M. McMaster.
No services are scheduled at this time. Instead of sending flowers, please write a note to Ann recounting your memories of Hank, and consider making a donation in his name to St. Mark United Methodist Church, 252 Main Street, Clinton, TN 37716. Or to Wesley House Community Center, 1719 Reynolds Street, Knoxville TN 37921.
Holley Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton is assisting with arrangements.