Robert (Bob) Van Zandbergen passed away peacefully on April 5, 2023, in Elmhurst at the age of 98. He is survived by his four children, Sue (Jack) Bellizzi, Judy (Jim) Young, Gary (Cheryl) Van Zandbergen, Terri (Joe) Scatchell; ten grandchildren, Chris, Carrie, David, Jeff, Eric, Tracy, Katie, Christina, Michael, and Matthew, as well as seven great grandchildren. He was predeceased by an eighth great grandchild and, by his beloved wife, Dorothy (nee Benson). Bob was born on August 26, 1924, in La Crosse, Wisc. At a young age, his family resettled in Rock Island. During WWII, he served in the United States Navy as a Radioman on the USS Yorktown. After the war ended, he returned to Rock Island and married Dorothy. He attended the University of Illinois in Champaign and graduated in 1950 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. The family moved from Rock Island to Elmhurst in 1955. Bob retired from Vapor Corporation in 1987 after a career in Manufacturing Engineering. Along with being a hard-working and devoted husband and father, he was a Life Member and active volunteer at the American Legion in Elmhurst. He and Dorothy were some of the first residents of Park Place in Elmhurst, where Bob resided until his death. An interment with Military Honors will take place at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, at a future date.
