Ronald Van Vleet

Ronald Frederick “Van” VanVleet, age 84, from Fort Collins, CO passed away on July 9, 2022. He was born on September 20, 1937, in St Johns, Michigan to Robert F. and Arleita (Armstrong) VanVleet. He was the fourth of six children. He grew up on the family farm milking cows and planting crops. He raised 400 chickens to buy his first car. Van graduated from Rodney B Wilson High School in St Johns, MI in 1955 and attended Michigan State University for a year. He was in the United States Airforce from 1958 to 1961 and spent a year stationed in Thule, Greenland as a Dental Lab Technician. On February 20, 1960, in Los Angeles, CA, he married Iris Jeanne Ballard and they came to Colorado in 1961. He and Iris raised their family in Littleton, CO where they resided for 40 years. He worked at CA Norgren Company for 37 years as a Service Engineer. He planted a garden every summer and always had vegetables to share with family and friends. He was a talented carpenter and used his skills to build a large addition on the family home. After retirement in 1999, Van and Iris moved to Fort Collins to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren. Van was a devoted family man with a great sense of humor who loved the water, animals, spending time outdoors and traveling with Iris. He was an accomplished woodworker and watercolor artist. He loved to play cards, ping pong, croquet, horseshoes and cornhole. He had a competitive nature and loved to win. Van is survived by Iris, his wife of 62 years; his daughters, Jennifer (David) Pond, Laurie (Robert) Elliott and Beth (Mike) McKay; ten grandchildren, Tyler, Emily, Allison, Connor, Kellen, Chloe, Noah, Sophie, Justin and Brady; five great grandchildren; Jaxon, Lillee, Oakley, Penny and Arthur; brother Gary (Shirley) VanVleet and sister Janet (Ed) Thompson; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Frank (Lynn) Ballard, Vernon (Pat) Ballard, Sandra (Jeff) Warnick, Sue (Billy) Peel, Raymond (Lori) Ballard and Mark (Claire) Ballard. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Arleita VanVleet and in-laws, John and Mildred Ballard; brother Bruce (Barbara) VanVleet, sister Marlene (Jim) Monfort; and brother-in-law, John Ballard. A family celebration of his life will be planned for a later date. “The man is a success who has lived well, loved much, and laughed often.” – Robert Louis Stevenson We love you and are grateful the pain of Parkinson’s is past, and you are at peace. We will miss you every day but will carry your love, pride, and laughter in our hearts. In honor of Van, a tree can be planted at https://tree-tc.tributestore.com/memorial-tree