Howard VanSchoik

Howard Russell (Chris) Van Schoik was born on February 9, 1927 in a farmhouse that is still standing on Walker Road in Brown Township. He entered his eternal rest on December 29, 2013.
Chris grew up and farmed in Norwich Township for many years. After graduation from Hilliard High School in 1945, he entered the U. S. Army and became an instructor, primarily in tanks, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Following his discharge in 1946, he returned to farming and in 1958 was named “Outstanding Young Farmer” by the Hilliard Junior Chamber of Commerce. In addition to farming 244 cropland acres by himself, he raised sheep and swine. For many years, he served as a Trustee of Norwich Township. He eventually left farming and went into a partnership in a Phillips “66” gas station in Hilliard and in 1964 became Acting Postmaster of Hilliard. In 1965 he was appointed Postmaster of Hilliard by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1979, he received an award for “Postmaster of the Year – Central Region” from the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS). During his employment with the U. S. Postal Service, he was a member of the Hilliard Chamber of Commerce, the Columbus Postal Customer Council, NAPUS and the National League of Postmasters. He retired in December 1987 after serving nearly 23 years.
He became a member of Avery Lodge #493 F&AM Hilliard in 1948 and died as its oldest Past Master. He belonged to Scottish Rite and Aladdin Temple Shrine and was a Past Patron of Level Chapter 109 OES Hilliard.
Chris met his wife, Leslie, at Jimmy Rawlins Dance Studio in 1986 and they married in 1988. His main hobbies at the time were ballroom dancing and rose gardening. In 1992, he and Leslie began spending the winter months at River Bend Resort in Cameron County, Texas where they prepared and led a Sunday worship service and taught line dancing for several years. They became members of Central Christian Church in Brownsville, Texas and the Hilliard Church of Christ.
They returned full-time to the Columbus area in 2001 and in 2003 became members of Worthington Christian Church. They began volunteering at Worthington Christian Village in 2005 and moved into a cottage in The Colony at WCV in 2007. Chris planted and maintained two rose gardens at the Village and became known as the “the rose man.” He also called Bingo and very much enjoyed kibitzing with the Thursday-night Bingo players.
Chris was preceded in death by his parents, Clark W. and Hazel (Grener) Van Schoik; brother, Lowell and sister, Lois Beach. He is survived by his wife, Leslie; daughters, Deborah (Steve) Leppert of Powell, OH and Diane Medlen of Ocala, FL; step-daughter Robin (Dan) Brown of Lawrenceville, GA; step-sons George L. (Sandy) Nolan, III of Overland Park, KS and Bill Nolan of McAllen, TX. Chris and Leslie’s blended family includes 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Friends may call Thursday, January 2 from 4-6:30 p.m at Tidd Funeral Home, 5265 Norwich Street, Hilliard with a Masonic service following. Funeral service will be held the following morning at 11:00 a.m. at Worthington Christian Church, 8145 High Street, Columbus 43235 . Visitation will precede the service beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment following service at Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Norwich Township. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Worthington Christian Church; Worthington Christian Village, 165 Highbluffs Boulevard, Columbus 43235 or Shriners Hospital for Children, 3229 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3018.