Obituary: Larry VanderWall, 79, of Mears.

Larry VanderWall

Obituary: Larry VanderWall, 79, of Mears.

Larry A. VanderWall, 79, of Mears, passed away Monday, November 15, 2021. Larry was born October 20, 1942 in Muskegon to Arthur and Geraldine (VanDonkelaar) VanderWall. He was raised in New Era and graduated from Shelby High School in 1961.

He married Judith VanOrman on  June 5, 1965.  While attending college, Larry was a seasonal worker at the Ludington State Park. This was the beginning of what became a long career for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in state parks. He was a park ranger at Onstead and assistant manager at South Haven before moving to Ionia where he was the park manager. At Ionia, he helped clear and develop the land for the new state park. Larry did some building and handyman work during his working career. Upon retirement, he returned to Oceana County and settled in Mears. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping. He was a member of West Golden Wesleyan Church.

Larry is survived by his wife, Judith; son, Zachary (Wendy) VanderWall, daughters, Kimber Kemp and Nichole (Chad) Deal; and his grandchildren, Zayne Curtis (and fiancé, Haleigh McNally), Matthew VanderWall (and fiancé, Megan Callaghan), Emma VanderWall, Ryder Kemp, Ashten Kemp, and Emma Bevans.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 20th, 11 a.m. at West Golden Wesleyan Church, 2752 N. 34th Ave., Mears with Pastor Sue Beckman officiating. Please consider West Golden Wesleyan Church or Harbor Hospice as a memorial.