Richard K. Van Zomeren Obituary (1938

Richard K. Van Zomeren passed away on September 27, 2019 in Provo, Utah after a long and courageous struggle with Alzheimer’s. Richard was born in Salt Lake City to Pete and Ruth (Lilliwick) Van Zomeren on November 12, 1938. Richard is survived by his wife, Sally Van Zomeren; sister, Karen (Pete) Burkett; children, Loretta (Todd) Miller, Jason Van Zomeren, and Jamie (Laura) Van Zomeren. Richard was also blessed with and survived by his step-children, Brian (Shawn) Fakler, Brenda Anderson, Tammy (Rick) Stabile, Ann (Roland) Heydorn, Brian (Lisa) Garrett, Chad (Karon) Garrett, and Brett (Emily) Shell; 35 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Leslie; wife, Malissa, and three children, Richard Jr., Debbie, and Monica. Richard’s life was filled with a passion for law enforcement. He was a police officer for Salt Lake City, the Chief of Police for Utah Valley State College and Portland Community College. He also served our country in the National Guard as a Military Police. Richard’s other passions included gardening, landscaping, rock hounding, fossil hunting, camping, fishing, and his most recent passion was book collecting−he loved to talk about his vast library. He was an avid reader and loved to share the knowledge he gained from reading. His children love to share stories of camping and dinosaur bone hunting out in the Utah desert. He loved music of all genres. He was an excellent teacher and public speaker. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 4, 2019 at the Spring Creek 14th Ward, 672 North 250 West, Springville, Utah. A visitation will be held from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.