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Helen Vande Polder Obituary

Helen Emily Vande Polder
Helen Emily Vande Polder, 84, was born in Passaic, NJ, to Reverend Emo and Nellie Van Halsema on March 21, 1933 and went home to be with her Lord on February 13, 2018. She died at home of natural causes. She is predeceased by her beloved husband, Don, as well as her parents and four of her siblings. Helen graduated with a B.A. in English in 1955 from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. After college, she met Donald R. Vande Polder, a medical student. They married in 1960. Following brief stays in Ann Arbor, MI, and Houston, TX, the couple moved to Sarasota in 1965, and Don began his medical practice as Sarasota's first neurologist. Helen was a homemaker, and together she and Don raised their five children in Sarasota and lived most of their lives in the Indian Beach-Sapphire Shores neighborhood, where they made many lifelong friends. Their children attended and graduated from Bradenton Christian School, which she supported throughout her life. For more than 50 years she was a member of Bradenton Christian Reformed Church, which remained her church home until the time of her death. She moved to Bradenton in 2012.
Survivors include her children, Donald (Lyn) Vande Polder of Kansas City, MO; Claire Vande Polder (Barry Rinehart) of Boca Raton, FL; Jane (Ben) Lambers of Tampa, FL; Betsy (Jim) La Grand of Mechanicsburg, PA; Robert Evan Vande Polder of Bradenton; as well as siblings, Betsy DeKorne of Grand Rapids; Bernice Vanden Berg of Grand Rapids; and Franklin Van Halsema of Wollaston, MA. She is also survived by 11 dearly loved grandchildren, Samantha (Zach) Schmitz of Chicago, IL; Madeleine, Olivia, and Jack Vande Polder of Kansas City; Lucas, Adrienne, and Nicholas Lambers of Tampa; Anna Claire Lambers of Bradenton; and Jacob,
Margaret, and Simon LaGrand of Mechanicsburg.
A celebration of Helen's life will be held at 4:00 pm on March 3, 2018 at Bradenton Christian Reformed Church, 4208 26th Street West, Bradenton, FL 34205. Brown & Sons Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bradenton Christian School, 3304 43rd Street West, Bradenton, FL 34209.

Published by Bradenton Herald on Feb. 24, 2018.
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My condolences to the entire family. There are only a few people in life that you see Christ in them so quickly, easily and thoroughly. Helen inspired me and so many others - and the beautiful Vande Polder family is a result of such inspiring parents. May the Spirit of God comfort you all!

Don Ridder

March 4, 2018

I will always remember Helen with great fondness. She was a good neighbor for several years. May God be with her family in their time of need.

Connie Myers

February 28, 2018

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