Willem VanDongen

Willem (Bill) was born October 24,1950 to Nel and Marinus Vandongen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on November 4, 2020. He moved with his family from Rotterdam to Salt Lake City in May 1960. Bill graduated from Kearns High School as a Sterling Scholar and was a University of Utah graduate. He became the General Manager of two large fast-food companies and stayed in that industry for most of his life. He married Debbie J Christensen on June 28, 1991. He was also a prolific writer and poet. Bill had a deep curiosity about life and a love of wild Utah. He also had a love for all animals, especially his cat family and his dog Jake. The following is part of a posting he wrote in 2017: "The sound of the canyon wren early on a desert morning is the sweetest sound to my ears. I value bristle-cone pines that were already ancient when Christ was born. I love seeing the milky way stars through unpolluted skies and the cactus in bloom and I marvel at the tenacity of desert wildlife and the beauty of untrammeled canyons and the authentic peace of a desert night so calm that one can hear one's soul whisper in comfort far from the stresses of modern life."

Bill is survived by his wife Debbie, their four children Justin Vandongen (Becky), Krista Vandongen (Coral), Todd McBeth, Melissa Bennion (Adam), and five Grandchildren Aj, Whitney, Hailee, Allie, Jocelyn, as well his brother Max Vandongen (Becky), sister Jeannette Vandongen Nelson (Toby), and many nieces and nephews. Rest in peace dear Bill.

"When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure"