Cornel Vanderlinden

Cornelis “Dutch” Vanderlinden
May 17, 1934—September 1, 2015
Cornelis “Dutch” Vanderlinden, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, entered his eternal home Monday, September 1, 2015 after struggling with a heart condition complicated by leukemia. He passed away at his home in the company of his children by his side, singing hymns of comfort and praise.
Cornelis Vanderlinden was born in Gouda, Netherlands, a city famous for cheese and stroopwafelen, on May 17, 1934 to Gerrit Jacobus and Johanna Hoekstra van der Linden. He had two brothers, Wabe and John, both of whom have already passed from this earth. He grew up in the tumultuous years of World War 2, where he experienced five years of German occupation directly in his home and very little food on hand. Despite this, his family aided Jewish families by feeding them and hiding them in their own home. His father served six months in a concentration work camp during the war. Upon war’s end, Cornel dreamed of coming to America.
He arrived in the United States of America in December of 1953. He began to work as an apprentice, soon becoming an experimental machinist, for the Kemp family at K & D Machine Shop in Van Nuys, California. In that capacity he would be a faithful employee for the next 45 years at the same company. His foreign name was a bit challenging for friends and coworkers to pronounce so he became known as “Dutchman” which was shortened to “Dutch.” For most of his life in the United States, he was known by that name.
Shortly after arriving in the U.S., Dutch began attending church where for the first time in his life, he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and received Him as his personal Savior. He recalls this moment as a cataclysmic life-changing event. Not long after this, Dutch Vanderlinden married Carrol Ann Miller and together they raised six children. They raised their children in a loving, Christian home. Dutch worked tirelessly to afford every one of his children a Christian education and a good life. Each child is enormously proud of their dad and of the legacy and the rich inheritance of godliness that he leaves behind.
Dutch experienced the heartbreak of his life when his loving wife passed into heaven on December 25, 1998. He had to continue without her, serving in the church, caring for and loving his adult children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Dutch had many hobbies throughout the years: sketching, pottery, bee keeping, farming and singing. His favorite hobby was gardening and tending the fruit trees in his yard.
Mr. Dutch Vanderlinden loved the Lord Jesus Christ with all of his heart. He wanted his life to be a shining light for those lost in the darkness of sin. His favorite hymn, a testimony of his life, was “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less than Jesus Blood and Righteousness.” Because of his faithfulness to his Lord, all of his children have also received Christ as their Savior. They are eternally grateful to him for the gift that they have been given.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on September 10, Thursday, at Oakwood Memorial Park and Cemetery, 22601 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311, with a burial ceremony following. Mr. Vanderlinden is survived by his six children: Tammy Stout of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, Dana Bonham of Castle Rock, Colorado, Mitzi Bishop of Castle Rock, Colorado, Casie Jackson of Santa Clarita, California, Carie Swanson of Thousand Oaks, California and Jeremy Vanderlinden of Fresno, California; 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He is sorely missed but has been reunited with His Savior and his cherished wife, parents, brothers and friends who have passed on.
1Corinthians15:52-57, “ …in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”