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Heath Van Handel | Visitation:
Monday, April 13, 2009
9:00 AM until 12:00 PM
St. Gabriel CatholicChurch
900 Geiger St.
Neenah, WI
Service:
Monday, April 13, 2009
12:00 PM
St. Gabriel Catholic Church
900 Geiger St.
Neenah, WI
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| | | Van Handel, Heath
A star fell out of the sky on Wednesday afternoon, but his life will shine in our hearts and memories forever. Heath Jeffrey Van Handel was born September 5, 1972 to Roger and Joyce (Dietzler) Van Handel. He left us on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, watching over nature from the sky, something for which he had great love. If you have had the privilege of meeting or knowing Heath you will remember his love of life, his great affection for his family, his passion for his job and the great outdoors, and how genuine and important he made everyone around him feel. This was a true renaissance man, with so many gifts and talents and best of all a great generosity of spirit that compelled him to share so much of himself with those whom he loved. It is true that life will go on, and Heath would encourage us all to embrace every single day, but we all know that life will be decidedly different without him.
There is a monumental task in trying to summarize someone so unique, so special, so much larger than life in the space of a few paragraphs. Heath, besides being a fantastic son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin and friend cut a wide swath through life with his many interests and passions. An accomplished pilot, he loved electronics and computers, was musically inclined - had just acquired (finally!) an acoustic guitar, was a truly patient and inspired nature photographer, and was handy at visualizing, creating and building things. From little on, with spending time with his grandparents at their cottage on Little Sand Lake, Heath began a love affair with nature that would span his entire life. In time he would spend time in Canada, eventually settling down in Appleton, with the love of his life Jenny by his side, his two boys, and the daily joy of being able to see God’s creation from the cockpit of a Cessna.
Heath was the youngest of the three Van Handel boys, with an abiding fondness for his older brothers Ross and Reed. He graduated from Appleton East High School, then on to UW-Madison to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology. From there, life took him to Kansas, where he met Jenny, who wanted nothing to do with those “pilot types” but who saw something different in this one… They were married at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Combined Locks, WI on October 2, 1999. While at Kansas State, he also obtained his Associate and Professional Pilot Degree, and became a flight instructor. After that came a succession of jobs within the airline industry, as a cargo pilot for Hartland Aviation, then Masaba and Air Wisconsin and finally, in January, 2006 – his final position – his dream job as a pilot for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Besides his love of family, nature, and so many other things, Heath had a strong attraction to cookie dough, never outgrowing the need to steal entire batches of the stuff from his mom’s refrigerator. His childlike approach to so many things will help to keep him with us for a very long time. When he spoke to you, he gave you that feeling that you were the most important person that he could ever imagine speaking to. Though we are saddened by the loss of him, we find great comfort knowing that he gave his life in the service of others, doing something that he loved very much.
He is survived by his wife, Jenny (Roberts) Van Handel, and his very special precious two boys, Matt and Brett who will now depend on the rest of us to remind them of the man who was and will always remain their father, his parents Roger and Joyce Van Handel, Appleton, his brothers, Ross (Sheila) and their children Frank, Claire, Luke and Lilli, Appleton; and Reed (Joanna), and their children John, Ryan and Tommy, Madison. Heath was godfather to both Claire and Tommy. Jenny’s family also mourns his loss: her parents Don and Carol (Koehn) Roberts, their daughters Jeannie Roberts and Jodi and Dylan Killingsworth and their children Alyssa and Ethan; and son Chris (Tess Opel) Roberts. He is also survived by his uncle and godfather, Jeff Dietzler, great aunt Gert Verkuilen and his great uncle, Bob Van Drasek as well as numerous cousins, aunts, uncles and friends.
Heath was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Mary Van Handel and Cletus (Dietz) and Ruth Dietzler and his godmother, Jean Dietzler Wall.
The funeral service will be held at 12 noon, Monday, April 13, 2009, at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 900 Geiger Street, Neenah, WI, with Rev. Steve Dietzler officiating. Friends may call directly at the church on Monday from 9:00 AM until the time of service.
A memorial fund is being arranged for Matt and Brett at Community First Credit Union info@communityfirstcu.org; Phone (920) 830-7200 Toll-free 1-866-273-2328. The family would like to express its deepest appreciation and sincere thanks to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for their support and assistance during this very difficult time.
Brettschneider-Trettin-Lederer
606 N. Oneida St. Appleton, WI
920-733-7383 www.btlfuneral.com
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