Steven Mark Vander Ziel

Steven Mark Vander Ziel, age 61 of Lowell, passed away Saturday, October 28, 2023. He was preceded in death by his father, Henry Vander Ziel. Steve is survived by his wife, Joan Vander Ziel; children, Amy (Foster) Hovey, Andy Vander Ziel, Melissa (Matt) Rozelle, Kelly (Alex) Repke, Kyle Vander Ziel; grandchildren, Noah Hovey, and Baby Rozelle; mother, Yvonne Vander Ziel; brother, Paul (Ann) Vander Ziel; and many nieces and nephews.

Our heavenly Father called Steve home unexpectedly on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Throughout his life, everything Steve did was from the ground up: the dairy farm, his house, pond, barn, tractors and businesses. Out of high school, he started a dairy farm with his parents and brother. Then, he worked on building a loving 35-year marriage and raising a family. He was proud of and cherished each of his unique 5 kids. In the family he had the mentality of “figure it out” – go drive that excavator or back up this trailer – because he knew we could do it; it came from a deep love of family and a desire for his kids to succeed in life. His engineering mind prompted many projects that brought the family together and which he used to teach many life lessons. In business, he believed in treating people how they would want to be treated – with integrity, honesty, and respect. He tried to be fair in business deals, one of his favorite sayings was, “pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.” Steve built a successful business from the ground up that has reached people all over the world. He served the Lowell community on the township board for many years. In his later years, he ventured first in John Deere tractors and then any brand as long as it was “pre-30”. He lived by the mentality that if someone built it, he could fix it. That is exactly what he did; he brought home “tractors” in crates and after a while they would drive out of his barn under their own power. He created a tight knit community of tractor friends which he thoroughly enjoyed. Steve was always two feet in for all of life and his gas tank was always empty. He will be greatly missed by many.
Visitation will be held from 5-8pm on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at “The Barn” 12166 52nd St. Lowell, MI 49331. A portion of 52nd St will be closed for the visitation – proceed through the closure and park on the road. Funeral Services will be held at 11 am on Friday, November 3, 2023, at NorthPointe Christian Schools, 3101 Leonard St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to NorthPointe Christian Schools (NPC Foundation in memory of Steve VanderZiel),  3101 Leonard St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525 or Lowell Township for the Parks (Steve VanderZiel Family Endowment Fund), 2910 Alden Nash SE, Lowell, MI 49331.