Vandevoort, John J. 1920-2012

VANDEVOORT, KLEIN, MEPPELINK, OBARR, SHELDON, BOS, VANDEN OEVER, VANDER HART

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 6/17/2021 at 19:00:18

John VandeVoort
October 25, 1920 - January 28, 2012

John H. Vandevoort was born on October 25, 1920. He was the fourth of four children born to Henry and Anna (Klein) Vandevoort of Pella. John passed away Saturday, January 28, 2012, at Jefferson Place in Pella, Iowa at the age of ninety-one.

John graduated from Pella High School in 1938 and the National School of Meat Cutting, Toledo, Ohio in 1941. He made profession of his faith at the First Christian Reformed Church in Pella. In his younger years, he worked for his brother, Henry, at Vandevoort’s Cash Grocery in Pella until October 1942. John met Wilma “Billie” Meppelink when her family moved to the Pella area and joined the First Christian Reformed Church. They were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1944, at her parents’ home near Pella. This union was blessed with four children: Kenneth John, Robert James, Joel Keith and Jay.

John entered the Army Air Force on October 2, 1942, and served as a photo technician with the 509th Composite Group at Wendover, Utah; North Field, Tinian Island; and Roswell, New Mexico. The 509th dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ended the war. He was discharged as a Staff Sergeant on February 6, 1946.

John was an inspiration for his sons and grandsons and was the first of six veterans in his immediate family. John returned to Pella after the war to continue working for his brother at Vandevoort’s Cash Grocery, Vandevoort Super Market and Van’s Food Market where he was manager and produce manager. He also worked at Pella Cooperative Electric and retired from the Rolscreen Company in 1985. At the present time his home was at Jefferson Place in Pella, Iowa.

Family came first in his life, as he was a very devoted husband and father and received great happiness in loving his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. John enjoyed photography and his photo darkroom, woodworking, cooking outdoors (even in the winter) and following Central College and Iowa Hawkeye football. He also spent time visiting over coffee at In’t Veld’s and greeting visitors in Central Park. John was a charter member of the Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella. He served on the first consistory and on the building committee which built the church.

Among those who will cherish his memory are: his wife, Billie; four sons and spouses: Ken and Carol Vandevoort of Mount Pleasant, Bob and Leslie Vandevoort of Phoenix, Arizona; Joel and Marti Vandevoort of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Jay Vandevoort of Kabul, Afghanistan; six grandchildren: Julie O’Barr, Jim and Vanessa Vandevoort, Rick and Jill Sheldon, Jon Vandevoort, Laurel Vandevoort and Bret Vandevoort; six great-grandchildren: Andy, Caitlin and Ciara O’Barr, and Brooke, Madison and Christian Sheldon. Also surviving sister-in-law Jane Bos, brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Carolyn Meppelink; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding John in death were his parents, parents-in-law, brother Henry, sisters Wilma Vanden Oever and Grada Vander Hart, brothers-in-law Peter Bos, Marion “Boots” Vanden Oever and Godert Vander Hart, sisters-in-law Gertrude Meppelink, Claziena Meppelink, Evelyn Meppelink, and Bernice Vandevoort. Funeral services were held Saturday, February 4, 2012, at the Calvary Christian Reformed Church. Burial took place at the Oakwood Cemetery in Pella. Military rites were conducted by the United States Air Force and the Pella American Legion. The Garden Chapel Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

To plant a tree in memory of John Vandevoort, please visit Tribute Store. ~ The Garden Chapel Funeral Home, Pella, Iowa 28 Jan 2012.