Erik v an Zanden , 60, passed away December 11, 2021 with his family by his side and surrounded by so much love . Erik was born November 25, 1961 in T he Hague, Netherlands to Willem van Zanden and Louise Heppe -Kooijman . Erik m et Cass van Zanden ( Schloth ) in 198 4 while attending Jacksonville University and they married on February 3, 1990 and spent thirty - seven amazing years together building a wonderful life with their two amazing children , Kir é and Kyle .

Erik enjoyed being with his family, traveling, taking his dog , Cooper , on walks at the beach, watching football, soccer and F1 racing. He liked a good glass of scotch and had a passion for cooking and grilling. Erik had so many hobbies from sailing , skiing , photography, cycling, building and collecting Legos , but most of all he loved planning and going on vacation with family and friends, creating so many cherished memories.

Erik had a fantastic career a s a Senior Civil Designer at BHR and later with Arcadis as Associate VP/Sr. Project Manager. He had the ability to work with the same group of people for 36 incredible years and considered everyone a close , personal , friend . With many of the design projects he worked on, from UNF to 9B ; Erik truly left his footprint in Jacksonville.

Erik is survived by his wife Cass van Zanden , his daughter Kir é van Zanden (28) and his son Kyle van Zanden (24) . He is also survived by his mother, Louise Heppe-Kooijman (Hans-Gunter Heppe ) and his father Willem van Zanden ; his older brother Frank van Zanden (Joleen) and their children Brandie, Nik ( Kristen ) and Sean ; his younger sister Lisette deKlerk (Ruud) and their daughters, Elisa, Ilonka and Cindy. He will be missed by his family - in - law Rod and Rita Schloth ; Paul and Maria Schloth and their daughters Rachel ( Duffy Flynn ) , Brooke (John Paul Gilligan) and Jessica ; Fred Schloth (Erika Hancock) and his sons Christian, Jake, and Joh n; and Rod and Denise Schloth and their children Ryan and Sarah.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Arlington Park Funeral Home on December 18, 2021 from 11:00 am- 3:00 pm with a reception to follow for family and friends at the van Zanden residence . In lieu of flowers please make donation s to: March to Get Screened - Raising Awareness for Colon Cancer ( https://marchtogetscreened.com ).