John Lee Vaandering, 66, passed away peacefully on November 12, 2020 surrounded by his family.

He was born on May 16, 1954 in Hillsboro OR. to Henry J. and Alice C. (Sazama) Vaandering. He was the third of four children. John was a life long resident of Forest Grove. He attended Forest Grove elementary schools and graduated from Forest Grove High School in 1972. As a young boy he worked at a variety of jobs including picking berries and vegetables. He was a life long truck driver, working independently as a dump truck driver for many years before working for Parr Lumber and JB Hunt, among others. John retired in May 2020.

John met his future wife, Debra Herinckx, in the berry fields. John's mother was the field boss and following a three year courtship they were married on May 17, 1975 in Verboort. They lived and raised their family of five in the Forest Grove area.

His clever wit, ready sarcasm and ability to fix anything was the foundation of his life as a loving husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed spending time with family, especially his six grandchildren. His hobbies included gardening, both vegetables and beautiful flowers, tinkering with anything that needed fixing, watching old westerns and beach combing.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Debra, his parents and his brother Gale Vaandering.

He is survived by five children and their families; Nick and Melissa Vaandering with Henry, Alison & Andrew all of Forest Grove, Angela Vaandering of Forest Grove, Melissa and Joe Culligan with TJ, Owen and Kailey all of Portland, OR, Brenda Vaandering of Las Vegas, NV, Mary Vaandering & Marcus Pipkins of Beaverton. His siblings Linda Lance and Mickey (Olivia) Vaandering of Forest Grove.

The family suggests donations in John's name to Visitation Parish.