Psalm 91:1-2
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “ My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
No longer in the shadow of the Almighty, but now eternally in His presence, Anthony (Tony) Vander Stelt was welcomed with loud rejoicing on March 25th at 10:00 pm. He was 91. His body was tired from many years of working, for his family, for his church, but most importantly, for his Lord. God brought him home to finally rest and do what he longed to do, worship at the throne of the Almighty.
Anthony was born on November 23, 1934, to Leendert and Wilhelmina (Voogt) Vander Stelt in the hospital in Leiden, The Netherlands. Born into a working family, he learned very early to roll up his sleeves and get the job done. He never shied away from learning something new, and It showed in all the many jobs he held throughout his life. If you were to ask him what he did for work, he would say “jack of all trades”. He worked in farming, was a crane operator, cement truck driver, welder, the list is grand and varied. He served in the Dutch Army from 1954 - 1955. But his best work was his family.
He met Sjoerdje Jager in 1957. He always talked about how he knew of her from the time she was a little girl in the small town of Nieuw Vennep. But years later, the first time he actually met her, she was sitting a few rows ahead of him at the movies. She turned to look at him and stuck her tongue out at him. One look at her beautiful, mischievous face and he was in love. They married July 8, 1959, and together had 6 children. 5 while they lived in Holland and 1 more after they immigrated to California in 1970. They had 58 beautiful years together until she went home to glory in 2017. Even after she was gone from his side, her picture was near so that he could marvel at her beauty and how blessed he was to have her for so many wonderful years.
He had a quiet, enduring faith in the Lord, faithfully making every decision in life, pointing to God’s will for himself, his wife and his kids. We never felt like we needed anything because he and Mom always reminded us to have faith that God would provide. And He did! We always had exactly what we needed.
While we don’t want to write a novel, Tony was a man of many talents and stories. His hands were never still and he would happily tell anyone who was interested about his life in Holland and the United States. Stories about his childhood during World War II, the many times he could have been called Home after a fall off of a roof or a motorcycle accident and a number of other examples. When he wasn’t working at his job, he would still find things to work on when he got home. Often after a long day on the job, he would come home to work on the house. Adding a room, converting the garage, building a shop, fixing the plumbing.
He was never one to sit still, except on Sundays, then he would rest. Only, he wouldn’t actually rest because he was a church organist for more than 40 years. With varied interests, he loved to work with wood. Often, we would sit with him at the dining room table to watch him carve intricate pieces of art.
A few years after moving to Montana in 1999, Mom started to decline with Alzheimer's. And with the same tenacity as every other challenge laid before him, he loved and cared for her through every step of the disease. He learned how to cook, clean, all the things she used to take care of so that she could have the best care. When she could no longer be at home, he made the difficult decision to move her to Spring Creek Inn. And his love for her shined its brightest during that time. Many people know him for his daily visits to her side. Twice a day, every day, without fail. When he was at home between visits, he would carve; jewelry boxes, clocks, many things. One specific piece he often made was a carving of a rose. He carried these rose carvings in his car so that he could give them to people who touched his life in some way. He kept a record of every name, over 700 rose carvings have been given out since he started doing this in 2012.
In 2018, he moved to his apartment at Churchill Retirement Home where the walls hold all of his beautiful art; where he blessed them with his stories, his jokes, his twinkly blue eyes and as many hugs as one needed.
His legacy is one of faith, tenacity, hard work, creativity, and love. He loved deeply and was fiercely protective. His body was strong to the very last breath. Tony was a rare, precious gift to many. We have lost a treasure, but Heaven gained a beautiful soul.
Proverbs 17:6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.
Anthony leaves behind his children, Helma (Henk) Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Marjan (Bert) Vrolijk, Anita (Jack) Terpstra, Leo (Wanda) Vander Stelt, Shirley (Tracy “Dutch”) Kreutzer. 21 grandchildren and spouses, 3 bonus grandchildren, 38 great grandchildren and many more as God wills; one sister Lenie Van Haaften. Also mourning his loss are many friends and family, Reina (Paul) Dykstra.
Preceding him in death are his wife, Shirley “Sjoek” Vander Stelt; his sister, Annie; brothers, Arendt, Arie, Cornelius (Case) and Simon (Siem) and their spouses.
So many people blessed our parents throughout their lives. And we know they blessed you all as well. Thank you for loving them so well. Our family treasures each and every one of you.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!
Donations can be made in Anthony’s name to Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.
Visitation with the family will be held Wednesday, April 1st from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dokken-Nelson, Bozeman. Memorial Service will be held Thursday, April 2nd at 11 a.m. at Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Churchill.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
