Reinhold (Van) Vonderaa

Reinhold (Van) Vonderaa, 90, of Leesburg, GA., died Thursday, June 27, 2019 at his residence. Funeral services will be held Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Leesburg. Visitation begins one hour prior to service at 1:00 p.m.  Pastor Steve Kegley will officiate. Interment will follow in Leesburg Cemetery.

Born at City Hospital to Hanna and Reinhold M. Vonderaa on July 12, 1928 in the city of Newark New Jeresy. He was educated at Sussex Avenue Grammar School till the eighth grade and graduated. He went on to trade school “Boys Vocational”, where the decision was made to become a machinist. He graduated in 1945 while the war was still going on. All his buddies were in service and that's when he joined the Navy.

Mr. Vonderaa was stationed in several land bases for some unknown reason and in 1947 went aboard ship. Between 1947 and 1949 he had duty on three different ships. First was a destroyer, Woodsworth DD460, next was a battleship, BB61 Iowa and the third was a light cruiser Atlanta CL104. The destroyer was Atlantic duty and other ships were Pacific duty. While on the cruiser he was trying to get a machinist rate but it was frozen and settled out to accept water tender until discharge.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Leesburg, the Senior Bible Study Class, Prayer Chapel Prayer Warriors, Senior Mens Sunday School Class and the American Legion Post # 182. He was preceded in death by his wives, Helen Slabaveh, Bobbie Lanier and Joyce Forrester Vonderaa, his parents Hanna and Reinhold Vonderaa and a brother Alfred Vonderaa.

Survivors include his stepdaughters, Sandra Anderson, Ruth Rowell, Donna Jewell (Tommy), Debbie DeVivo, Lisa Palmer and Paul DeVivo (Paula).