Wally Vander's Obituary
Wallace “Wally” Gordon Vander Els, 58, of Charlotte, NC, died Monday, August 5, 2013 at Carolina Medical Center.
He was born on June 11, 1955, in Passaic, NJ and was the son of the late Garrett Vander Els and Debra Farquhar McGovern. He was a commercial construction superintendent with a strong work ethic of working alongside of those he managed. He was as quick to help a complete stranger as he would a long-time friend. Wally was a member of Founded In Truth Fellowship in Ft. Mill, SC and enjoyed studying and sharing the Hebraic roots of his faith. Wally valued laughter and could find humor in the toughest of situations. He inherited his gift of story-telling from his dad and was known for making a “short story long”. He loved taking long nature walks with his children and his grand children and was known to them as “Pooh Pa”.
He is survived by his wife, Karen Wood Vander Els of Charlotte; three children, Chase Vander Els (Irene) of Decatur, GA, Melanie Wilds (Roger) of Monroe, NC and Matthew Vander Els (Jenny) of Rock Hill, SC; four grandchildren Hannah and Grace Davis, Zola Vander Els and Ryder Wilds; sister-in-law, Linda Vander Els of Hampton Falls, NH.
A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, August 9, 2013 at James Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM prior to the funeral service at 2:30 PM. Burial will follow at Northlake Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Discovery Place, 1635 Spencer Mill Rd., Burns, TN 37029. This place was very special to Wally.
James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family of Mr. Vander Els and online condolences can be made to jamesfuneralhomelkn.com
What’s your fondest memory of Wally?
What’s a lesson you learned from Wally?
Share a story where Wally's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Wally you’ll never forget.
How did Wally make you smile?