Conrad L. Vande Zandschulp

April 9, 1947 - April 16, 2025

Born on April 9, 1947, in the small town of Orange, Ohio, Vande Zandschulp grew up as a farm boy and developed a patriot’s spirit that drove him to enlist in the Marine Corps. Serving between 1956 and 1969, Vande Zandschulp saw combat in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in a firefight with the enemy. 

Following his tour of duty, Vande Zandschulp returned to his home state of Ohio and began work as a deputy with the Lynn County Sheriff’s Office. He would eventually move on to the Cedar Rapids Police Department in Iowa.

Being new to the area, Vande Zandschulp would be assigned to the department’s undercover division working many cases surrounding drug enforcement. It was while working for the department that he met and married his first wife.

It was about this time when Vande Zandschulp would find his true calling as a volunteer offering his time to organizations such as the United Way, Meals on Wheels and as a member of Iowa’s Marine Corps League for which he would become commandant. His service and commitment to his community earned Vande Zandschulp the Iowa Governor’s Award.

Vande Zandshulp found himself arriving in Klamath Falls in early 2017 to be closer to his grandchildren. His son, Scott Vande Zandschulp, said family was very important to his father and that he would help wherever he could.

In Klamath Falls, Vande Zandschulp continued his acts of giving by offering himself to the local Marine Corps League and volunteering his time at Sky Lakes. Often he would be found brightening the days of those who were sick with no family to visit.

A few years ago he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that causes progressive scarring of the lungs. Lung cancer was discovered soon afterward. Idiopathic, a term denoted to a disease or health condition for which the onset is unknown, was attached to Vande Zandschulp’s complications. While the cause of Vande Zandschulp’s complications was never discovered, it is speculated by his family and colleagues to be the result of Agent Orange, a powerful mixture of herbicides used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Vande Zandschulp succumbed to his condition on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, passing away at the age of 78.

A service for Conrad Vande Zandschulp will be held today (Saturday), at the Refuge City Church starting at 5 p.m. Friends are encouraged to join.