Dorrance Reynolds Belin
OBITUARY
Dorrance Reynolds Belin, 87, of Waverly, died on March 30, 2026, at Geisinger Community Medical Center.
Born in Scranton, he was the son of the late Charles Welles and Constance Reynolds Belin. He graduated from Deerfield Academy, Yale University, and the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He was an Eagle Scout and served as an artillery officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960 to 1963.
He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1967 and served as a Trial Attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington from 1967 to 1971. He was a member of the Lackawanna County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts, including the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
He was a partner at the law firm Oliver, Price and Rhodes for forty years. He was elected an accredited Estate Planner by the National Association of Estate Planning Councils, and concentrated his practice in wills and trusts, estate planning and administration, and charitable giving.
Dorrance served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, particularly those focused on environmental stewardship. A founder of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, he served as a trustee for the chapter for 22 years. In 1982 he was honored with The Nature Conservancys National Oak Leaf Award for his conservation leadership. He also received the Northeastern Pennsylvania Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award. He was a founding member of the Countryside Conservancy, serving on the Board for over 20 years, including as President of the Board, and was named the first emeritus member of the Board in 2020.
He also served on many boards of local and regional non-profit organizations, including as a Director of the Geisinger Health System Foundation Board for more than 30 years and an Emeritus Director of the Board for 10 years. He was a member of the Northeastern Bank Board for 16 years and subsequently the PNC Bank Board for 13 years. He was a Governor and Chairman of the Board of the Scranton Area Community Foundation and a member and President of the Waverly Community House Board. He also served on the boards of Johnson College, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Scranton Public Library, Haddon Craftsmen and Penn Millers Mutual Holding Company.
Dorrance was a kind person and a true gentleman who loved spending time with family, traveling widely with his wife Susan to gain a deep appreciation of cultures around the world, playing tennis with friends, and immersing himself in nature through fishing and camping.
The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Gretchen Mackie and her team of caregivers for their years of dedicated support and friendship.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Susan Schneebeli Belin, as well as three sons, H. Hedrick Belin and his wife Mary Bissell of Maryland, David Belin and his wife Christine of Colorado, and Daniel Belin and his wife Christine of Massachusetts; six grandchildren: John, Hannah, Sam, Tim, Peter, and Tommy; a sister, Mary Rhodes of Waverly; a brother, Charles Belin of Tennessee; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Lucie Belin Steele.
Services will be private with entombment in Hickory Grove Cemetery, Waverly.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Countryside Conservancy, PO Box 55, LaPlume, PA 18440 or the Waverly Community House, PO Box 142, Waverly, PA 18471.
Dorrance Reynolds Belin
March 30, 2026