Nathaniel (Nat) Oliver van Noortwyk, III
Posted at 10:07 a.m. Friday, November 11, 2022
Nathaniel (Nat) Oliver Van Nortwyk, III, age 81, of Belhaven, North Carolina, passed away on November 9, 2022 at Windsor House after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was born in Greenville, North Carolina, the son of Nathaniel Oliver Van Nortwyk, Jr. and Ramona Staples Van Nortwyk. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Christian, and brothers, George C. van Noortwyk and H. Christian van Noortwyk. He was a veteran of the US Coast Guard. Survivors include his bride of 37 years, Mimi Ward van Noortwyk; a daughter, Nancy Battle W. Witherington (Scott); sons, Nathan O. van Nortwyk, IV (Victoria) and Matthew W. van Nortwyk; a granddaughter, Harver Grace; and grandchildren Christopher, Jack, Thomas, Cardon and Spencer; and his many lifelong brothers of ECU Kappa Alpha Order.
Nat graduated from J. H. Rose in Greenville in 1959 and then attended Oak Ridge Military Academy like his father. Nat graduated from East Carolina University (ECU) with a degree in Business Administration. His time at ECU is where he joined the Kappa Alpha Order (similar to a fraternity but based on Christian principles). The members of the order became his brothers for life. After graduation, he joined the US Coast Guard and served for 8 years. He loved nature and especially hunting and fishing in the sea. His favorite memories were time spent deep sea fishing with his daughters and deer hunting with his sons at Mr. Frank’s Hunting Club. His hobbies included cooking, gardening, Christmas decorations and decoy carving.
In 1985, they moved to Fountain, North Carolina, where Nat served as a commissioner and later as mayor. He was a home builder by trade and later served as a code enforcement officer in Pitt, Beaufort and Hyde counties and with the emergency department in Hyde County.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at Zion Episcopal Church in Washington, NC. Burial will take place in the church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Condolences to the family may be expressed online at www.paulfuneralhome.com.
Paul’s Funeral Home of Belhaven is honored to serve the van Nortwyck family.
