Rev. Robert Samuel VANDER SCHAAF

VANDER SCHAAF, MUILENBURG, KEIZER, LENSINK, THOMPSON, AALBERS, DESAULTY, BRINKS, FISHER, BREISCH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 1/16/2011 at 10:32:56

January 11, 2011
Belmond Independent, Belmond, Iowa

December 16, 1919 -- January 6, 2011

The Rev. Robert Vander Schaaf, 91, Alton, Iowa died January 6, 2011 at the Orange City Area Health System Long Term Care Facility. Services were held January 10 at the Alton Reformed Church.

Robert Samuel was born December 16, 1919 in Leota, MN, the son of the Rev. John J. and Adriana Maria (Muilenburg) Vander Schaaf. At the age of two Bob moved with his family to Denver, CO. Six years later they moved to Springfield, SD.
He graduated from Springfield High School and spent two years at the Southern Normal School. He then worked a year to finance two years at Central College in Pella. After graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve. Bob served in the military for 3½ years during World War II, working his way up to Aviation Radioman First Class. He logged over 2200 flight hours in PBMs that patrolled for submarines near the Panama Canal, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, and both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of America.

On May 10, 1943 he married Esther Lydia Keizer in Alton. After the war they made their home in Alton where Bob purchased the Floyd Hatchery. He was a member of the Alton Reformed Church. In the fall of 1958, feeling God’s call to the ministry, Bob entered Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI, graduating in 1961.  During his years as a minister, he had only two pastorates: Immanuel Reformed near Belmond (nine years) and Trinity Reformed in Fulton, IL (fifteen years).

In 1985 Bob and Esther retired to Alton. She died in May 2001. In January 2005 he moved to the Pioneer Memorial Home in Orange City, a facility that his grandfather, Samuel Muilenburg, helped found decades earlier. In May 2008, he transferred to the long term care facility. He genuinely loved interacting and learning about people from all walks of life: family, friends, children, “down and outers”, underdogs, and strangers. He had a great sense of humor, loved to tell stories, and showed kindness and compassion to many. However, his greatest love was for his faithful Savior, who he joyfully served with a grateful heart.

He was preceded in death by daughter-in-law Bonnie Vander Schaaf; brother Merrill Vander Schaaf; and sisters Laura Lensink and Ruth Thompson. Survivors include his daughter Rachel (Rich) Aalbers of Mount Vernon; son Rev. Robert (Sharon) Vander Schaaf of Sioux City; grand­- ­children Daniel (Shelly) Aalbers of Hampton, Benjamin (Heather) Aalbers of Greensboro, NC, Abigail (Louis) Desaulty of Chicago, Aaron (Staci) Vander Schaaf of Quitman, TX, Adam (Jill) Vander Schaaf of Sioux City and Amber (Tyler) Brinks of Littleton, CO; nine great-grandchildren; sisters Ada Fisher of Marion, IN and Amy Breisch of New Glarus, WI; and brother Howard Vander Schaaf of Cedar Rapids.