Obituary of Jansz VanderVeer

Niskayuna - Jansz "Jack" VanFleet VanderVeer, 86 of Niskayuna, passed away May 11th, peacefully at Ellis Hospital Residential and Rehabilitation Center. Born in Syracuse, Jack worked for the General Electric Company as a telecommunication engineer for 42 years, retiring in 1987. To all who came in contact with him over his lifetime, he was know as "Jack." He was best noted for his good humor and a consistent and long-standing record of contribution of time and talents to numerous community services. Jack had a great love of the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, camping, sailing and fishing. For nearly 50 years, he was active in the Boy Scouts of America. He was an Eagle Scout as a boy and served in numerous adult leadership unit and council positions and was the holder of several awards including the Silver Beaver. He donated more than 13 gallons of blood to the Red Cross over the years. A native of the Syracuse area, Jack joined the Fire Service in 1951 and served in every fire line office, including chief of the North Syracuse Fire Department, before moving to Niskayuna in 1967 where he joined the Grand Boulevard Fire Co., in Niskayuna Fire District No.1 and served in all the fire line officer positions through assistant chief. He served as a long-term member of the Schenectady Fire Advisory Board, beginning in 1971 and was appointed a deputy in the Office of the Fire Coordinator in 1973 until retirement in 1995. He also served on the Fire Protection Technology Committee at the Schenectady County Community College through 1985. In 1977, Jack was selected by the GE Elfun Society as the territorial award winner for outstanding civic and community contributions. He had a lifelong interest in aviation history and was one of the founders of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Glenville. He served as its first secretary/treasurer in 1984 and In recent years he was director of the Education and Research Library where he led in the development of a nationally noted collection. In recognition of his efforts, the Research Library was dedicated in Jack's name. Jack was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Niskayuna. He served on the the church council and was involved in the building and grounds operations of the church for approximately 35 years. Jack is survived by his wife, Rosemary Snyder VanderVeer; three children, John (Carolin) VanderVeer, Robert (Georgia Beth) VanderVeer and Peter (Katie) VanderVeer; five grandchildren, Jennifer Cohen, Julie Muldoon, Kara VanderVeer, Janet Durham and Kathleen VanderVeer. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren, several nephews and a niece. The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the staff at Ellis for their compassion and care of Jack. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 2nd at 3:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church to which relatives and friends are invited to attend. Memorial contributions may be made in Jack's memory, to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, 250 Rudy Chase Drive, Glenville, NY 12302.