Doris J. Vanden Heuvel

In our loving arms, our mother, Doris J. Vanden Heuvel, age 96, passed away on May 20, 2023. Our sorrow is deep, but we are filled with immense gratitude for the many years we had with her.  Even as her mind was failing, we never doubted that her faith and her love for us centered her life.

Doris was born on December 7, 1926, daughter of the late Martin and Jeanette (Hotchkiss) Lamers. She married the man “who made her laugh”, Richard D. Vanden Heuvel on May 5, 1951. Together they welcomed four children.  When Mom was asked about us at her 90th birthday she responded “They are all nice kids”.

Doris was a homemaker for her family for many years until becoming the Little Chute Elementary School secretary, a position she enjoyed immensely.  She loved traveling, gardening, knitting, golfing, and watching baseball and football (especially the Green Bay Packers).

Mom was an amazing friend.  She lost her mother at age 18, and with no sisters, she formed a sisterhood of lifelong friends.  The “Lucky Seven” as they called themselves were known to us as “the Club Ladies”.  They met monthly for over 60 years and together shared the joys and sorrows of life.  Today only Toddy and Dodo remain to tell us stories of our mom, and she joins Jane, Joyce, Rosella, and Betty in heaven. 

Doris is survived by her children: Sara (Scott) Van Fuss, Ellen (Tom Trevarthen) Beltz, Scott (Ann) Vanden Heuvel and Julie (special friend, Bill Seering) Jansen; grandchildren: Matthew (Ellen) Beltz, Leah (Michael) Del Gaudio, Brooke (Scott) Beltz-White, Abby (special friend, Tony Radichel) Vanden Heuvel, Shea (Nick) Kitzman, Carly (Patrick) Tiedt, Tyler Jansen and Madalyn (Austin) Williams; great grandchildren: Natalie, Henry, Julian, Giada, Roman, George, Florence, Isaac, Isabel, Samuel, Annie, Brooks, Piper, Jackson, Oscar, Zoey and Mae; a sister-in-law, Mona Bouressa; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Vanden Heuvel; son-in-law, David Beltz; brothers: Robert, Jack (Kate), Mark (Audrey) and Tom (Dorothy) Lamers; in-laws: Jim Bouressa, Mildred (Frank) Hermsen, Martha (Ray) Heindel and Jule (Ted) Huiting.

Funeral services will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, 411 Vandenbroek Street, Little Chute, with Msgr. Jim Vanden Hogen officiating. Visitation will be at the church on Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the Mass. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

The Vanden Heuvel family would like to extend a special thank you to the caregivers at Carolina Assisted Living, especially Merlyn Jackson, for caring for us as well as our mother for many years.

 In lieu of flowers, to honor our mother, donations can be made to St John Nepomucene Parish in her memory.

We thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new.  We thought about you yesterday, and the days before that too.  We think of you in silence, we often speak your name.  All we have are your memories and your picture in a frame.  Your memory is our keepsake, with which we’ll never part.  We give you to God for keeping, we have you in our heart.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.