Deitra Dawn “Dee” VanDyke Riggs, 46, from Valrico, FL, passed away on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, while at the Moffitt Cancer Hospital in Tampa, FL. Dee had been fighting a long battle with cervical cancer since 2009.
Dee graduated from Union High School in 1990, and later joined the US Army in 1994, where she served for six years.
Dee also received her Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences from Ashford University in 2012. Dee enjoyed spending time with her family, friends, and dogs. She was an avid Disney fan, and visited Mickey Mouse every chance she could.
Dee was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Henry and Ella Connell of Sinks Grove, WV; paternal grandfather, Curt VanDyke (Jackie) of Teays Valley, WV; maternal grandparents, Claude and Wanda Robinson of Oak Hill, WV; and brother, Kevin VanDyke of Sinks Grove.
Along with her husband, Tim Riggs, she is survived by her children, Lexi and Kolbie Ashman of Valrico; stepchildren, Peyton Riggs of Belton, TX, and Brandon Riggs of Hendersonville, TN; her parents, Jim and Patricia VanDyke of Sinks Grove; brother, Chris VanDyke (Lisa) of Sinks Grove and his children, Jessie VanDyke McBurney (Gary) and Colton VanDyke (Autumn); and great-nephew, Carter McBurney.
There will be a funeral at the Mt. Pleasant Community Church in Sinks Grove on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at 2 p.m., with Pastor James Hylton officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be on Saturday, July 20, 2019, from 5-8 p.m. at the McCraw Funeral Home in Lewisburg.
McCraw Funeral Home in Lewisburg is in charge of arrangements.
Obituary originally published in the July 19, 2019, edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
