Robert Nicholas VanderLaan of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2026. Robert was born on April 14, 1933, to Anna Cecilia (Beereboom) and Nicholas Joseph VanderLaan III at the VanderLaan family farmhouse. His home was a dairy farm established in the 19th century by Robert’s grandfather, Nicholas VanderLaan II. Nicholas II and his siblings had been orphaned in the Netherlands and grew up working on a dairy farm until they emigrated to the USA with dreams of owning their own land. When Robert was born in the 1930s, the land was pristine farmland several miles out of town. Robert and his sisters Betty and Loretta, along with their parents, worked the farm at 3411 Bradford St. NE. Back then, the Beltline was a “Natural Beauty” highway, which his mother noted had been paved when Robert was five years old. After Nicholas III passed away in the 1960s, Anna VanderLaan sold the land and moved back to the city of Grand Rapids, where she had grown up. Today, the land where “The Old Farm” stood is part of Meijer Gardens.
Robert served in the US Army during the Korean War. After his service he continued his education, studying business at Davenport College (now University). In the mid-1950s, he met and married Judith Ann VanHouten. Robert became a hard-working family man, practicing his trade as a sheet-metal journeyman. He and Judith had four children. While the VanderLaans were building their family, they were also literally building their home. Robert devoted his weekends and free time to his construction projects. Robert also mentored his nephews and their friends. Once his children were old enough, they were recruited too; enabling all of them to learn valuable skills and a strong work ethic.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents, Nicholas Joseph and Anna Cecelia (Beereboom) VanderLaan; his sisters, Elizabeth Ann (Frank) Herman and Loretta Marie (E. Joseph) Kuhlman; and Robert’s wife of many years, Judith Ann (VanHouten) VanderLaan. He is survived by his daughters, Ann Louise (Malcolm) Brown and Mary Beth (John) Kim; his sons, Steven Robert (Karen) VanderLaan and Keith Brian VanderLaan; his grandchildren, Jennifer (Colin), Johnathan, Matthew, Zachary (Monique), Nicholas, and Joshua; as well as many loving nieces and nephews.
A Catholic Funeral Mass to celebrate Robert’s life will be held on June 12, 2026 at St. Robert of Newminster Catholic Church, 6477 Ada Drive SE, Ada, MI. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. A luncheon will follow. Robert will be interred at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery, 4351 Parnell Ave NE, Ada, MI.