John Vanderzyl

VANDERZYL, JOHN Of Riverside died quietly in his sleep on January fourteenth at the age of 98. Mr. Vanderzyl was born on June 11, 1907, in Muskegon, Michigan. He moved to Riverside with his family in 1926. With his father he operated the Vanderzyl Paper Co., serving customers throughout the area that is now the Inland Empire. After his father's death he continued to run the company until his retirement. Mr. Vanderzyl was a 75 year member of the Evergreen Masonic Lodge, served as its Master in 1947 and as a Trustee for the next 30 years. He was Past President of the Riverside Exchange Club and a Life Member of the Board of Directors of the local Salvation Army. With his wife Mary, Mr. Vanderzyl engaged in numerous philanthropic activities locally, including Passport to College at RCC, sponsoring the summer concerts at the Citrus Heritage Park, establishing a program for children at the Riverside Public Library, and endowing a chair in English at Pomona College, their daughter's alma mater. They contributed to many programs at Calvary Presbyterian Church, where they were long time members. For many years Mr. Vanderzyl made wooden toys which were distributed to needy children. Married for 73 years John & Mary were an inseparable and affectionate couple. For the past several months Mr. & Mrs. Vanderzyl resided in Boise, Idaho with their daughter's family. Mr. Vanderzyl is survived by his wife, Mary, his daughter & son-in-law, Drs. Mary Ann & Ed Reynolds; two granddaughters, Kathy Ehrensberger and Dr. Ellen Reynolds, and four great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Calvary Presbyterian Church on January 25th at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Riverside Public Library Foundation, P.O. Box 468, Riverside, CA 92502-0468.