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After a long career as a pastor in the Grand Rapids-Zeeland area, Harlan Vanden Einde faced significant changes following the loss of his wife in 2023 and a cancer diagnosis. At age 85, he decided to move into Royal Park Place, an independent living community he had known for years through church connections.
“I was outside during a snowstorm, wind blowing, snow piling up, trying to clear my driveway with a snowblower,” Harlan remembers. “I was 85. And I thought, ‘What am I doing this for?’”
He and his late wife had once considered moving to Royal Park Place but postponed due to her health issues. After her passing, Harlan remained on the waitlist. In late 2024, he received notice that an apartment was available. His daughter encouraged him to accept it: “She said, ‘Dad, this might be the right time. You don’t know when your name will come up again.’” He moved in on January 10.
Shortly after relocating, doctors informed him that his cancer had spread further. He began chemotherapy treatments spaced three weeks apart. “I didn’t know what was coming,” he said. “But I believe God did. And I’m so glad I made the move when I did. This place has been a godsend.”
Despite ongoing health challenges, Harlan remains active and independent at Royal Park Place. He continues to drive and recently traveled with family for a reunion in Wisconsin. He also plays golf with a friend who is nearly 90 years old: “We’re just two guys renting a cart, taking our time,” he laughs. “It’s not about the score anymore. It’s about being outside.”
Harlan says that life at Royal Park Place has helped him adjust after losing his wife: “After she passed, I’d come home and catch myself wanting to tell her something. But she wasn’t there. That’s when the silence hits.” Now he finds companionship among residents during meals and activities such as choir rehearsals and Wii bowling: “I haven’t made a team yet, but I’m a sub,” he says with a smile.
A notable moment since moving in involved meeting Gus VanderVeen—someone who dated Harlan’s wife before they met decades ago at Dordt College: “When I first met my wife at Dordt College, she told me she'd been dating a guy named Gus back home in Wisconsin,” Harlan says. “Well, not long after moving in, I sat down at a table and heard someone call the man next to me ‘Gus.’ I looked at him and said, ‘Is your last name VanderVeen?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I told him, ‘You dated my wife before I did.’” The two have since become friends.
Reflecting on his experience at Royal Park Place so far: “It’s one in a million,” Harlan says. “What are the chances I’d be living in the same place with the guy who once dated my wife, sixty-five years later, in a different state?”
For now, Harlan values peace and community above all else: “I’m not preaching anymore, and I’ve stepped back from a lot,” he says. “But I still participate. I still worship. I still show up.” And for now, that’s enough.
