- Date Of Birth: April 29, 1931
- Date Of Death: December 28, 2015
- State: Michigan
Passed away Monday morning, December 28, 2015. John was born April 29, 1931, in Kalamazoo, the son of Arie and Grace (Zwart) Vader and had been a lifelong resident in the Kalamazoo and Portage area. He was a member of Heritage Christian Reformed Church and was the owner of his own business, John Vader Builder. On March 30, 1951, he was united in marriage to the former Wilma Jean Roundhouse, who survives. Also surviving are his sons, Ronald and Colleen Vader, Gordon Vader, and Randy and Barbara Vader; 5 grandchildren, Trevor, Matthew, Michelle, Melissa, and Ashley Vader; and several nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Andrew, Richard, and Peter Vader; and sister, Martha Leak.
John was a residential building contractor for 41 years, from the time of his marriage until his retirement in 1992; two of his sons, Gordon and Randy, continue in his business to this day. He enjoyed camping and traveling, including an unforgettable marathon 30 day camping trip to the southwest when all three children were young. John and Wilma continued camping until they were both in their 80’s. They took long winter camping trips to Florida, and occasionally Texas, for 18 straight years. John enjoyed fishing his entire life, fishing for bass and bluegills with his brothers and friends and later with his sons, and later enjoyed fishing for salmon and lake trout in Lake Michigan. As a result of this, all three of his sons developed a true love of the outdoors, and fishing and boating, and hiking and camping.
He was an accomplished sailor; for 19 years he and Wilma had a sailboat docked at Saugatuck. They spent every weekend from early May to late October sailing on Lake Michigan. He also enjoyed bicycling, especially on camping trips and down in Florida. For many years, John was an ardent fan of Kalamazoo Christian High School basketball and WMU basketball, rarely missing a home game, most of the time with one or more of his sons. After his retirement, John became interested in wood carving, and learned how to carve wonderful caricatures of people in various trades and activities. He was very proud of his carvings, and loved to display them, and to show them to friends and family. His gifts of carvings to his children will be cherished forever.
