Vander Vliet, Rev. Dr. Marvin 1944-2025

VANDERVLIET

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 3/2/2026 at 16:21:02

Published: February 20, 2026 |
News, In Memoriam
|
By Janet A. Greidanus

Marv Vander Vliet “was a wise person with a deep understanding of God’s Word and a great trust in God,” said a colleague and friend who ministered with him for 15 years at West Michigan Youth for Christ. “He loved people well. In ministry leadership and in life, he had a way of understanding people that was generous and kind, but still honest.” Marv, 80, died May 20, 2025.

Marv graduated from Calvin College (now University) and Seminary in 1975 and later obtained a Doctor of Ministry degree from Sioux Falls (Minn.) Seminary.

After ordination in 1975, Marv pastored Ellsworth (Mich.) Christian Reformed Church; Hillside Community Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Hawarden (Iowa) CRC; and First Jenison (Mich.) CRC. In 2004 he began serving the Juvenile Justice Ministry for West Michigan Youth for Christ, sharing the hope of Christ with teenage boys and girls in trouble with the law. Marv served there for the next 22 years, continuing to volunteer after he retired.

A story in The Banner from April 2008, “Navigating Young Souls,” described how Marv used outdoor settings and activities to help youth open up and consider a relationship with Christ. “When Rev. Marvin Vander Vliet takes teenage boys from the Kent County, Mich., Juvenile Justice System sailing on Lake Michigan, it’s an adventure in rehabilitation. … (T)he Christian Reformed minister uses his sailing ardor to model Christianity and foster deep conversation. ‘These kids have thousands of questions, about Jesus Christ in particular,’ he (Vander Vliet) said.”

Marv is survived by his five children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren. Barb, his wife of 56 years, died Jan. 12, 2026.

Source: Banner online article.
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Rev. Dr. Marvin Jay VanderVliet, age 80, of Grandville, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. He was a brilliant, loving, and godly man who touched countless lives during his many years of service to the Lord. We will miss him dearly, but we are thankful that he has left the suffering of this world and gone to his reward. Marv will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 56 years, Barb; his children, Lisa and Bob Howell, David and Donelle VanderVliet, Michael and Kara VanderVliet, Jonathan and Charlie VanderVliet, Nathan VanderVliet; grandchildren, Chloe, Mya, Brianna, Hannah, Collin, Micah, Alex, Oliver, Asher; sisters, Ruth and Bert Vander Meer, Shirley and Peter Pijnappel; brothers-in-law, Wayne Zoerhof, Gene Zoerhof; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Benjamin VanderVliet, and sister, Jane DeVries. Funeral services will be held at 11 am on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Ivanrest Church, 3777 Ivanrest Ave SW, Grandville. Burial will take place at East Saugatuck Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit with the family Tuesday, May 27 from 6-8 pm at Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf Funeral Home (Grandville) 4145 Chicago Dr. SW. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to West Michigan Youth for Christ Juvenile Justice Ministry.

Source:: MKD Funeral Home online obituary.