SEMA Hall of Famer Dick Van Cleve Passes From Scene

SEMA has received word of the October 20 passing of Dick Van Cleve at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Administration Hospital after a long illness.

SEMA has received word of the October 20 passing of Dick Van Cleve at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Administration Hospital after a long illness. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday, surrounded by family, approximately two weeks prior.

Van Cleve served as the association's vice president of marketing in the late ’80s, and was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also a devoted SEMA and Performance Warehouse Association (PWA) volunteer and was instrumental in the success of the SEMA Golf Tournament as a fundraising event for the SEMA Scholarship Foundation.

In addition to Van Cleve's dedication to these industry associations, he was owner of Van Cleve & Associates, a marketing and advertising firm based in Valley Village, California. Earlier in his career, Van Cleve was lauded as a top advertising representative for Car Craft magazine, and eventually became publisher of its parent, Hot Rod magazine.

Van Cleve is survived by his children John (wife, Julie), Karen (husband, Kenny DeMartines) and Craig; and granddaughters Jessika Simo (husband, Matt), Andrea Cohen (husband, Tony), Megan Van Cleve and Tara Maynard; as well as great grandchildren Sage, Jewel and Violet Cohen. He was preceded in death by his son Mark and granddaughter Stacie Van Cleve.

Memorial services will be held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, November 19, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 10800 Moorpark St., North Hollywood, CA 91602, 818-766-3838. Honoring his wishes, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in his name be made to the parish's St. Charles Altar Servers Program.