Age: 84 years, 6 months, 25 days
Residence: Elm Crest Retirement Home, Harlan, Iowa
Born: November 22, 1930, Carroll, Iowa
Died: June 16, 2015, Harlan
Marriage: Neoma Ann Popp May 31, 1951, Carroll.

Funeral services: Monday, June 22, 2015, St. Michael's Catholic Church, Harlan. Burial was at the Harlan Cemetery, Harlan.

Survived by his wife of 64 years, Neoma Vanderheiden, of Harlan; sons, Rodney Vanderheiden of Bedford, Iowa, and Lindsey (spouse, Stephanie) Vanderheiden of Longmont, Colorado; two grandchildren; other family members and friends.

Predeceased by Parents, John and Veronica (nee Beyerink) Vanderheiden; brothers, Orville and Leonard Vanderheiden; sisters, Viola Mueggenborg and Mildred Vanderheiden.

Education: attended St. Lawrence Catholic School and went on to graduate from Carroll High School.

Religious affiliation: baptized and confirmed at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Carroll, where he remained a member until 1959 when he moved to Harlan.

Military service: served in the U.S. Army from February 5, 1952, during the Korean War as a Field Wire Specialist with the 25th Infantry Division, until his honorable discharge in November 1953.

Employment: After his military service, he returned to Carroll, where he worked with his father in the moving and storage business. He spent several more years with his father before moving to Harlan, in 1959 and starting Van's Moving and Storage, Inc.

Hobbies/Interests: Member of the Harlan American Legion Helmer Reyelt Post No. 150 and the Shelby County VFW Post No. 941; was a long-time member of Kiwanis, serving as president in 1966; served on the Harlan City Council and the Chamber Board; was a long-time member of The Mayflower Warehousemen's Assn. and a member of the Iowa Movers & Warehousemen's Assn, and was chosen Warehousemen of the Year in 1960. In 1970, he was chosen as "Man of the Year" by the Harlan Chamber for his work with the first kids wrestling tournament in the State of Iowa. He was honored by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches Association in 1974 and again in 2014. After he retired in 1993, he volunteered for over 7 years for Concerned, Inc. in Harlan. He also served as a member of the Park & Rec Board, the Vets Auditorium Building Board, and recently was on the Harlan Cemetery Board and Cemetery Foundation Board.

John enjoyed all sports and was an avid follower of the Harlan Community Cyclones. His hobbies included collecting old post cards, presidential postage cachets and articles, book matches, and restoring old trunks. He spent many years researching his family genealogy origin from Holland.