The Reverend Robert L. "Bob" Vander Aarde, child of God, loving husband and father, retired pastor of Christ's Church on the Hill, RCA, passed away at Peace Hospice on January 26, 2022.
Bob was born August 20, 1936, in Orange City, IA to Bernard and Christina (Luchtenburg) Vander Aarde. He married Marjorie Ieleen Hartog on June 18, 1960, a partnership that continued for over 61 years. Bob and Marj met as a result of a theatrical production at Northwestern College/Junior Academy in Orange City, IA in which he forgot to throw off a spotlight he had positioned on her on stage.
Having received an AA degree at Northwestern College where he initially studied mathematics and physics, he subsequently received degrees from Hope College (BA) and Western Theological Seminary (MDiv) in Holland, MI after feeling a call to Christian service. He was ordained to ministry in the Reformed Church in America in 1961. Bob also did postgraduate coursework in pastoral counseling at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN from 1968 to 1970.
Bob and Marj became missionaries to Kuwait, Arabia where he served as hospital chaplain and administrator at the American Mission Hospital and assistant pastor to the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait. After returning to the United States, Bob accepted a call to be pastor at Christ's Church on the Hill in Great Falls in 1970, a position he held until his retirement in 2001.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the O'Connor Funeral Home website.
