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Wilma Vader

August 27, 2021
Portage, MI

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Passed away Friday morning, August 27, 2021, with her children and grandchildren by her side during her final hours. Jean was born June 26, 1928, the youngest child of Leonard and Johanna (Goodhart) Roundhouse. On March 30, 1951, she was united in marriage to John Edward Vader, and they enjoyed 64 years of married life together; John passed away in 2015. Jean is survived by her three sons, Ron and Colleen Vader, Gordon and Kitty Vader, and Randy and Barb Vader, and five grandchildren, Trevor Vader, Matt Vader, Michelle (Jordan) Veenstra, Melissa Vader, and Ashley Vader. Jean was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her three sisters, Clara Roundhouse, Esther Haak, and Bette Stimson. Jean was a member of Heritage Christian Reformed Church, and was a homemaker most of her life; after her children had grown, she worked part time at Cavalier Mailing and Letter Service. Jean loved music, starting at an early age. When she was fifteen years old, she bought a brand new Baldwin piano, with the help of a bank loan, and owned and played that piano for her entire life. She played the organ at church and weddings, starting at age sixteen, and was a church organist for most of her life, retiring at age 72. She also was an accomplished vocalist, singing alto in the church choir for many years, and also sang in the chorus at the Kalamazoo Oratorio Society's performance of Handel's Messiah. After the passing of her husband, she once again embraced music, playing her piano for hours at a time, and attending many local concerts, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends or family. Jean and John enjoyed years of camping trips with their children, including an epic 30 day camping trip to the southwest when the children were quite young. After their children had grown, Jean and John continued camping into their 80's, including long winter camping trips to Florida and occasionally to Texas. Jean and John owned a sailboat for 19 years, docked in Saugatuck, and enjoyed sailing on Lake Michigan almost every weekend from early April into late October. Jean also enjoyed doing needlework of many types, jigsaw puzzles, and mind teaser puzzles in the newspaper. Services will be held at 2:00 pm Thursday September 2 at Heritage Christian Reformed Church, 2857 South 11th St, with Pastor Simon Tuin officiating. Friends may meet the family Thursday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at the church, prior to the service. Private internment will be held at a later date. A special thank you to all of the staff at Visiting Angels and Bethesda Ranch for all of their loving care. Memorials may be directed to Heritage Christian Reformed Church or Bethesda Ranch Adult Foster Care. To view Jean's personalized guestbook, please visit https://www.langelands.com