JOHN E. VANDE VEN obituary

He was born June 17, 1941, in Havre, Mont. He was the devoted husband of Linda (nee Leeds) Vande Ven, whom he married Jan. 30, 1970; beloved father of Karen (Mark) Banas of Plainfield and Adam Vande Ven of Omaha, Neb .; adoring grandfather of Kyle Edward and Eric Jonathan Banas; loving son of the late George and Pearl Vande Ven; dear brother of Ronald Vande Ven and friend Terry Vick of Missoula, Mont .; fond uncle of many loved nieces and nephews. John was born and raised in Chinook, Mont., was a member of the Class of 1960 at Chinook High School and was a graduate of Montana State University in Bozeman, with a degree in chemical engineering, in 1965. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He was employed for more than 30 years with Universal Oil Products, Des Plaines, ll.,, where he traveled extensively, retiring in 1999. John enjoyed working for UOP as a consultant after retirement, hiking in Glacier National Park, cooking, pleasure travel, golfing, gardening, geotrecking and woodworking. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family and treasured grandchildren, who were "the lights of his life." Visitation and Celebration of Life will be Saturday, Jan. 9, 1 to 4 p.m., at Overman-Jones Funeral Home, 15219 S. Joliet Road, Plainfield. A memorial services will follow at 4 p.m. in the funeral home. John's cremains will be interred at a later date with family and friends present at Kuper Memorial Cemetery, in Chinook, Mont. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Fragile X Foundation, a cause near and dear to John's heart. Donations in honor of Kyle Banas, in John's name can be sent to: The National Fragile X Foundation, P.O. Box #37, Walnut Creek, CA 94597, (800) 688-8765, http://www.fragilex.org.