Larry Van Dessel
ELDER
Larry Van Dessel grew up in Erie, PA and attended a local Christian Missionary and Alliance Church where he met the Lord in his early years. He later attended Penn State on an ROTC scholarship and earned a degree in Civil Engineering and joined the U.S. Navy upon graduation. Larry served 24+ years in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps.
Larry has been married to his wife, Sandy, for 42 years and has three sons and three grandchildren. He and Sandy have served in leadership roles at various bases and have attended multiple church denominations as they’ve moved around the country. Larry was a Deacon in a Methodist church but had not been a part of church leadership until DEC which he became a member of in 2004. Around this time, Larry began a new position as Executive Director of Facilities at the University of New Hampshire where he served for 18 years before retiring in 2021.
Larry has been a DEC Small Group leader, or assistant leader for over 13 years and has taught the Financial Peace course at DEC and multiple times to college students at UNH.
Larry holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Florida, has coached youth soccer for 15+ years in several locations, and is an avid hunter, fisherman, and gardener.
“I believe the one thing all believers in Christ should be saying is, ‘I want to be doing whatever God wants me to be doing.’ Although I will admit I have not been ‘perfect’ in following my own statement above, I believe the calling to become an Elder for Durham Evangelical Church is what God wanted. It has been a personal blessing to serve my brothers and sisters at DEC!”