James K. (“Jim”) Van Slyke II, Age 66, of Topeka, passed away on Thursday, December 21, 2023. He was born on November 3, 1957, in Topeka, Kansas, the son of James K. and Mary E. (Fuller) Van Slyke. He attended Randolph Elementary and Boswell Junior High School and graduated at the top of his class at Topeka High School in 1976. In high school, he was active in debate, band and choir, and he sang with the Topeka High Madrigal Singers.
Jim graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1980 with a B.A. in History. He was 1st chair clarinet in the Yale Concert Band and sang in the Yale Glee Club. Music was always important in Jim's life. His father was the band director and clarinet professor at Washburn University in Topeka while he was growing up, and his family was recognized as the Kansas “Musical Family of the Year” in 1975. In recent years, he played clarinet with Marshall's Civic Band and the North Topeka Community Band, and he sang with the Yale Alumni Chorus on tours to Washington, D.C., Toronto, Canada, and Puerto Rico, USA.
Following his graduation from Yale, Jim worked on President Ronald Reagan's Inauguration Committee in Washington, D.C. in 1980-81 and worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. from 1981-82, and then enjoyed a 6-month assignment to work for the U.S. Pavilion at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Following the Fair, he returned to Topeka, where he met his future wife Patti-Lou Reed in 1983, and they were married in February of 1984. Patti is still well-known in the Topeka area as a talented singer and actress, and she is a member of the Topeka Civic Theatre's Hall of Fame.
In November of 1988, Jim and Patti welcomed James K. Van Slyke III (“Jake”) into the world. He has been a source of pride and joy, and they happily followed him to Topeka West High School marching band competitions, jazz band performances, and tennis tournaments. They were proud of his graduation from Kansas University in 2011, and they were happy to visit him in San Diego where he lived and worked for five years before moving back to Lawrence. Since his return to Kansas in 2017, they have especially enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren Madeline (7) and Grayson (5).
Jim was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in the 2nd District of Kansas in 1984 and again in 1992, and he was the runner-up in the race for Mayor of Topeka in 1993. He served as the Shawnee County Republican Chairman from 1985-1988. While no longer politically active, he still enjoyed submitting the occasional letter-to-the-editor on important issues of the day, and he rejected the extreme partisanship which has paralyzed our political discourse in recent years.
Jim was a registered representative with Waddell & Reed Financial Services from 1985-87 and then worked for the Kansas Department of Commerce from 1987-1991. In August of 1993, he started working for Central National Bank and he and his family moved to Junction City, Kansas where they lived from 1993-1996. In 1996, Jim became the Chief Financial Officer for Central National Bank, and he and his family moved back to Topeka. He served in that capacity as CFO until his retirement in 2023 and was honored to have been associated with an outstanding 4th generation, family-owned bank with total assets of $1.2 billion, that has been in existence since 1884. In addition to the CFO role, Jim served as Secretary to the Board for nearly 30 years.
Jim was an active member of West Side Christian Church in Topeka for more than 50 years, where he sang in the chancel choir and served as an Elder and in various leadership positions. He also sang with his wife Patti and their good friends Dan and Megan Lindquist in the “MPH Folk Group“ at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka for some 25 years. Until recent years, Jim enjoyed playing volleyball regularly at the Crestview Community Center. He and Patti loved to travel, and they especially enjoyed cruising in the Caribbean and trips to Pagosa Springs, Colorado in the fall. They took a two-week trip to Ireland in 2019 and recently enjoyed a three- week African safari (cameras only) in May of 2023. One of the highlights of every year was the family Thanksgiving gathering, which Jim and Patti were proud to host for members of both sides of their families for nearly 30 years (since 1993), before the pandemic temporarily brought such gatherings to a halt. They were happy to renew this tradition in 2023.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, James K. Van Slyke in 1984. Survivors include his mother Mary E. (Van Slyke) Muilenburg, three sisters, Dorothy Iliff (Douglas) of Topeka, Joanna Kimbal (David) of Guyton (Savannah), Georgia, and Elizabeth Groff (Jr.) of Linwood, Kansas, his wife Patti of the home, their son James K. (“Jake“) Van Slyke III, and grandchildren Madeline and Grayson Van Slyke of Lawrence, Kansas, as well as many nieces and nephews. Jim also enjoyed and appreciated Patti's family - mother-in-law Margaret A. Reed of Topeka, sisters-in law Mary Ca Ralstin of Lenexa, Kansas and Noelle A. Resch (Scott) of Topeka, brothers-in-law J. Philip Reed of San Antonio, Texas, and Paul A. Reed (Mary Anne) of Folsom, California. He also loved Patti's many nieces and nephews. Jim loved animals and is survived by three large dogs and six cats who will miss him most of all.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 28, 2023 at West Side Christian Church, 432 SW Lindenwood, Topeka, with burial to follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, 4700 SW 17th Street, Topeka. Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 1321 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka. Memorial contributions may be made to West Side Christian Church or to the James K. Van Slyke Memorial Scholarship Fund (named in his father's honor) at the Washburn University Foundation, 1729 SW MacVicar Ave., Topeka, KS 66604. To leave a message for the family online, please visit www.PenweIlGableTopeka.com.
Posted online on December 22, 2023
Published in Topeka Capital Journal
