Robert Vander Wilt, 77, of Pella, passed away Dec. 25, 2021. Funeral ser-vices will be at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30, at Covenant Reformed Church, Pella. Memorials have been designated for Covenant Reformed Church, Peoria Christian Grade School, and Mid-Iowa J.I. Case Collectors.
Robert Lee Vander Wilt was born Aug. 8, 1944, to Gerrit and Harriet (Toom) Vander Wilt in Oskaloosa. Bob grew up in the Leighton area, attended Pleasant View School through eighth grade, and graduated from Pella Christian High School. He was in 4-H and enjoyed showing his cows. His first car was surprisingly a 1956 Ford, although he would later become a devoted Chevy guy. When he was younger, he went by Bobby. By high school, his friends gave him the nickname Wilt, a name many friends and locals still called him.
Apr. 17, 1970, Bob was united in marriage to Mary Ver Ploeg at First Reformed Church in Pella. To this union, they were blessed with three children: Dean, Michael, and Andrea. He met Mary through mutual friends while scooping the loop in Pella. One time while leaving after a date, he told Mary to be sure to inform her dad that he needed to fix the bearings in the muffler of her car. Mary’s dad roared with laughter when she relayed the message because, of course, there are no bearings in a muffler. The couple has always resided in Pella, first living on a farm north of town and then in their current house, which they have lived in together for over 30 years.
Bob’s first job was at Van Zee Implement, working with his brother Arvin. Bob and Arvin enjoyed tinkering, first working on projects at the farm where they lived. Bob was a member of Iowa Air National Guard, where he received training at air craft mechanic school and learned how to work on plane engines. He then went on to work at Ulrich Motor before opening his own business, Bob’s Automotive, in 1971. Patrons of the shop could just walk in, and he would drop what he was doing to help them whether they had an appointment or not. He would assess what they really needed to have done and give them an honest and fair price. While the shop was covered in dirt and grease, he knew where everything was and made the place a welcoming stop for many friends and locals to chat and eat peanuts. The shop regulars would affectionately be known as “the Peanut Gallery.” Countless locals have stories about Bob fixing their car on a weekend or holiday so they could get back to college or keep plans to go out of town.
In his youth, Bob enjoyed drag racing in Eddyville, trap shooting, and snowmobile and dirt bike riding. As he got older, he went from driving fast cars to driving slow tractors in tractor rides, tractor pulls, and never missed a threshing bee. He was looking forward to his 25th year as a charter member of the Great Iowa Tractor Ride. This became a family tradition with his son and grandchildren joining him on the ride. Tractors and gardening were his favorite pastimes, using his tractors to plow large gardens for himself and his family members. Mary and many other family members would spend hours canning and freezing his produce. He would leave the rest of the produce on neighbors’ doorsteps, and he provided local nursing homes with sweet corn every year. His garden was his quiet place. He enjoyed the simple things, like a ride after church with the windows down. He also appreciated the music of Dutch violinist Andre Rieu, listening to his concerts on DVD over and over. His favorites from Andre Rieu were the holiday compilations that Bob played at Christmas for his family, usually at a very high volume. Bob and Mary enjoyed traveling and took many trips to The Netherlands to visit friends and explore their Dutch heritage.
Bob was a devoted member of Covenant Reformed Church and was known as an active church leader; he led adult Sunday school classes and served as the council president many times. He would serve in any capacity asked of him; he always knew what to say, what Bible passage was appropriate for the situation, and how to support and pray for those in need.
As a father, there was nothing Bob didn’t know or couldn’t fix. When he said he was going to do something, he would get it done (although not always in a timely fashion). His grandkids were his pride and joy, teaching them how to plant gardens, drive tractors, work on cars, and build Legos. He was a quiet observer, and when he spoke, everyone listened. He was someone you could sit with comfortably in silence or in easy conversation. He set a good Christian example for his family, but he also had a playful and mischievous side, loving to tease nieces, nephews, and grandkids. There are endless stories of the ornery things he did, but they were always done in good fun. He enjoyed a good surprise, throwing more than one surprise party for Mary. Those who loved him most will cherish the memory of his ornery smile, contagious laugh, and happy eyes. Whether known as Bob, Bobby, or Wilt (only being called Robert Lee by Mary when she needed something), he knew everyone and everyone knew him. Bob will never be forgotten but forever remembered and missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Mary and their family: Dean (Carol) Vander Wilt, Bradley, Marie, Calleigh, and Rachel, Michael Vander Wilt, and Andrea (Brandon) Vos, Rory, Harlow, and Maren. Bob is also survived by his sisters Marcella Beerends and Eleanor (Vernon) Boot; his brothers Arvin (Carolyn) Vander Wilt and Loren Vander Wilt; his brothers-in-law Alan (Rita) Ver Ploeg and Bryan (Deborah) Ver Ploeg; and sisters-in-law Elaine (Don) Derringer and Brenda Faro; and many dear nieces and nephews.
Those preceding him in death were his parents, parents-in-law Alonzo and Geraldine Ver Ploeg, and his brothers-in-law Andrew Beerends and Tracy Faro.
