Virginia Theresa (Vanderzanden) Heynderickx, loving wife and mother of eight children, passed away peacefully at home on July 11, 2024 in Mt. Angel. She had recently celebrated her 103rd birthday at a party held in the gardens of her Mount Angel home. She is survived by seven children, sixteen grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.  

          Virginia was born on June 29, 1921, in Verboort, Oregon, the daughter of William J. Vanderzanden and Louise M. (Vandomelen)Vanderzanden.  She was the oldest of the nine children who were raised on the family’s farm in Verboort. She left school after eighth grade to work on other farms to help support her family during the Depression. In 1942, she married Maurice J. Waibel who died in 1943 from combat wounds. Throughout WWII and afterward, Virginia worked at St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland, Oregon, preparing food for patients and learning about nutrition.  

          In 1947, she married Marvin F. Heynderickx, a returning naval pilot who also served in WWII, and who had grown up on his family’s farm a short distance from the Vanderzanden farm. They first lived in Corvallis, Oregon as Marvin finished an agriculture degree from Oregon State University.  They built their first home together in Verboort, Oregon, where their children have fond memories of fishing with Virginia on Dairy Creek. In 1963, they built their second and final home on the Evergreen Golf Course, two miles outside of Mount Angel, Oregon. Virginia would live in this house for 60 years.

          Decisive and fair, Virginia’s greatest pride was as a mother and homemaker. Having grown up with a large family on a farm, she trusted her own children, providing opportunities for growth and mistakes as they grew into adulthood. This included week-long camping trips to Camp Sherman, at first using a large, army-surplus canvas tent, for fly fishing on the Metolius River and swimming in Scout Lake.  She also hugely enjoyed beach trips to the family cabin in Rockaway, Oregon.

          Based on her hospital experience, Virginia took great pride in her cooking for a large family, and she could easily produce six different pies (boysenberry, mincemeat, lemon meringue, peach, rhubarb or fresh strawberry) in a single afternoon, each with a light, flaky crust.  

          Virginia’s two-acre home on the Evergreen Golf Course hosted a large garden and many fruit trees and plants, including a half-acre of well-tended raspberries. Every summer for decades, hundreds of visitors would visit her roadside fruit stand to buy fresh berries and peaches. Her love of gardening and flowers (particularly primroses) led her to be an active member of the Mount Angel Garden Club, where her flower arranging skills won the annual Mark Hatfield trophy several times.   

          Virginia always had a great sense of style. She greatly enjoyed shopping trips to Salem and Portland, particularly with her family and friends. She was an active and caring support to her neighbors as they faced advancing age.   

          Virginia and Marvin had a long and loving relationship. Marvin passed away in 2003, and Virginia’s daughter Diane Hunt followed him in 2019. On both occasions, Virginia demonstrated the determination and strength that defined her generation.  She will be deeply missed by her family and community.   

          Survivors include daughter Judy Kehoe of DeLand, Florida; son David Heynderickx of Portland, Oregon; daughter Janet Kavale of Newberg, Oregon; son Roy Heynderickx of Camp Sherman, Oregon; son Paul Heynderickx of Carrabelle, Florida; son Scott Heynderickx of Portland, Oregon; son Jim Heynderickx of London, United Kingdom; and 16 Grandchildren and 13 Great-Grandchildren.