Pastor Tom Vanden Bosch

Pastor Tom Vanden Bosch

Pastor Tom Vanden Bosch passed away on March 31, 2016 at the age of 93 years, 4 months, and 14 days.

Tom was the son of Leonard and Margaret (Lems) Vanden Bosch. He was born on a farm near Rock Valley, Iowa on November 15, 1922. He entered the Army in January, 1943. Tom served in Germany with the 20th Armored Division and was involved in liberating the Dachau Concentration Camp.

He was united in marriage with Laura Van't Hul on November 2, 1945, shortly before his discharge from the Army in February of 1946. He attended Calvin College and Seminary and Michigan State University. Ordained to the Ministry in January of 1958, Tom served churches in Waterloo, Iowa and Hammond, Indiana. In the fall of 1965, Tom transitioned into chaplaincy, serving first as a chaplain at the Pine Rest Christian Hospital in Cutlerville, Michigan. He later served as a chaplain at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown, California, a medium-security prison affiliated with the State of California prison. In the fall of 1970, Tom returned to his roots, accepting a transfer from the VA hospital in Livermore to the VA hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he served for many years as the Chief of Chaplaincy Services. Since 1978, Tom was a charter member of Shalom Christian Reformed Church where he served as Associate Pastor, Counselor, and Elder over those many years. After his retirement in January of 1988, Tom and Laura volunteered with Christian Reformed World Relief at many disaster sites across the United States, Tom continued to enjoy theology, politics, and current events as well as lifelong ministering and encouragement to those around him, often through the hundreds of custom greeting cards he made on his computer.

Tom was one of nine children and is survived by sisters, Esther Cleveringa, Lenora DeWit, brother, Mike (Nancy) Vanden Bosch, and sisters-in-law, Henrietta Vanden Bosch, Nelma Vanden Bosch. Laura passed away at the age of 82 in December of 2008, after 63 years of marriage. His children include Tom Vanden Bosch of Guadalajara, Mexico, Gloria (Dale) Hansen of Sioux Falls, SD, and Scott (Laurie) Vanden Bosch of Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren include Amy (Rob) Preston of Fort Myers, FL, Alyssa (Judah) Sali of Arandas, Mexico, Mabutu Malual of Jamestown, ND, Ryan (Beth) Vanden Bosch of Sioux Falls, SD, Erin (Dustin) Strande of Sioux Falls, SD, and Sarah (Nick) Engbers of Sioux Falls, SD; great grandchildren include Zachary, Sydney, Noah, and Ava Preston, Lane and Benjamin Sali, Adel Malual, and Cooper, Cate, and Campbell Strande. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were a source of great pride and joy. In 2011, Tom married Fran Groeneweg. They lived together at Aspen Heights in Hull, Iowa for four years and more recently at the Rock Rapids Health Centre in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Memorials may be directed to World Renew (CRWRC) or The Luke Society.

Funeral Services will be 11:00 am Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Shalom Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, SD. Visitation will be 3:00-5:00 pm Friday, April 8, 2016 at Heritage Funeral Home with family present. It will resume at 9:30 am Saturday until 10:45 am at Shalom Christian Reformed Church.

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