Chris N. VanderGroef of Wantage Township, N.J., passed away battling a short illness at Newton Medical Center on Friday, April 2, 2021. He was 59.
Born to Case and Evelyn VanderGroef in Sussex, N.J., he has been a lifelong resident of Wantage.
Chris worked alongside his brother, mother, sister, and son at Wantage Excavating Co. His parents started the business in 1964. Chris was a perfectionist when it came to his work and loved nothing more than “digging in the dirt.”
He was a life member, past chief and past president of the Beemerville Fire Department The department and all the guys meant a lot to him. Chris was a member of the Beemerville Presbyterian Church, NJLICA (NJ Land Improvement Contractors Association) and the Beemerville Sportsman and Landowners Association. His life was dedicated to his family, servicing his community, and his work. He will be missed by his co-workers and fellow contractors. He loved spending time with his grandchildren more than ever. Chris was always the guy to lend a hand and help anyone who needed it. He loved his morning coffee time at Mountain View Deli with the guys.
Chris is the beloved husband of Sally VanderGroef (nee Dunn); devoted father of Justin Ted VanderGroef and his wife, Chelsea, and Cayla Elizabeth VanderGroef. The lights of his Life were his grandchildren, Paige Noelle VanderGroef, Adelyn Grace VanderGroef, and Leo Christopher Harris. He was their “Pop.” He is the cherished son of Evelyn VanderGroef, dear brother of Trudy Sutters and her husband, Chip, Diana VanAlthuis and her husband, Frank, Alice VandeWeert and her husband, Scott, David VanderGroef and his wife, Jennifer, and Marie Haney and her husband, Steve. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Jean Ann Jaeger, brothers-in-law Irish and Linda Dunn and Dutch and Mimi Dunn. He had many nephews, nieces, grandnieces, and grandnephews. They loved their Uncle Chris.
Visitation was held April 7 at Wantage Excavating, followed by a funeral service, a fireman’s service, and a luncheon. Private cremation services were arranged by Ferguson Funeral Home, Sussex, N.J. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers may be to the Beemerville Fire Department, 227 Rt. 519, Wantage N.J 07461.