Derrick Van Linton, II

Derrick Van Linton II, of Burlington, North Carolina, was born to the late Victoria Lee Locklear and Derrick Van Linton on September 18, 1981, in Nassau County, New York. Derrick departed this life on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the age of 44, at his home in Alamance County, North Carolina.

Derrick was a graduate of East Alamance High School, Class of 2000, and later graduated from Gibbs School, Class of 2002. He was a digital creator with a natural artistic eye, expressing himself through graphic and visual design. Creativity was one of the ways Derrick made sense of the world and left his personal mark.

In addition to his parents, Derrick was preceded in death by his beloved cousins Takeyla McNair, Fredrick Locklear, and Heaven (Nina) Hanna; his paternal grandparents, Evelyn Christmas and Melvin Linton; his paternal uncle Keith Linton Jr.; his maternal grandfather, Theodore Locklear; and his maternal uncles Charles Jay, Johnny Ray, Carey Drake, Timothy Locklear, and Theodore Locklear Jr.

Derrick leaves to cherish his memory his partner, Akiaya Fuller, of Alamance County, North Carolina; his beloved maternal grandmother, Gracie Lee Locklear, of North Carolina; his maternal aunts, Margie Locklear and Melody Rose Locklear, of North Carolina; his paternal brother, Mitchell Linton, of Washington, DC; his paternal uncle Keith Linton, of Long Island, New York; and his paternal cousins Janel Diaz, Ebony Linton, Desmond Linton, and Regina Bennett.

He also leaves behind his beloved maternal cousins Quinn Hanna, Tanisha McNair, Dock McNair Jr., Syrus Gaddy, Bless Hanna, and Tiana McNair, all of North Carolina, along with a host of other close family members and friends who will forever cherish his memory.

Derrick will be remembered for his perseverance, his creativity, and the quiet strength with which he lived. May he now rest in peace, free from struggle and surrounded by love.