Vandy was born in Greeley Colorado to Laurel and Florence Vanderhoof. He attended Greeley High, where he met and married his sweetheart Mary Alice Love after graduating. Vandy attended Colorado State University on a basketball scholarship. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. They moved to Salt Lake City after landing his first job as a Veterinarian. He later went into practice with Drs. Joe and Ed Tugaw establishing Central Valley Veterinary Hospital.
Vandy and Alice raised 5 children in Holladay, Utah. They were founding members of Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church where he remained a member until his death. Vandy made many lifelong friendships and fulfilled many church duties. He played with the church golf group on Mondays, it was the highlight of his week.
Vandy was active in the community and strongly believed in giving to those less fortunate. He served on the Salvation Army board for many years, receiving “A Lifetime Achievement Award”. He volunteered with both the Rescue Mission and Rescue Haven. As a member of Holladay Rotary he supported and sponsored several children from the Ngala School for the Deaf. He belonged to the CSU Alumni Association and served as President for the American Veterinary Medical Association. His most recent passion was Operation Pay It Forward “OPIF” an organization helping Veterans in need.
Vandy was an avid Ute and Jazz fan, he enjoyed fishing, golfing, corn hole and card games. His greatest joy was spending time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was an amazing father, mentor and friend.
Vandy leaves behind 4 children, Dan(Ofelia), Jim(Janet), (Tom Coward), Mike(Liz), JoLynn(Mark)Criddle, sisters Lynn Baily, Judy(Jerry)White, Janet Davis, 14 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and countless relatives with a heritage he was proud of. He is reunited with his wife of 56 years Mary Alice, and son Dave.
The family would like to express gratitude to the staff and friends at The Ridge Foothill and Encompass Hospice for their loving care of Vandy. He considered himself fortunate to have lived such a blessed life.
Due to the virus, the memorial service that was scheduled for May 23rd has been postponed. We will leave updates on this page as we have more information.
In Lieu of flowers Vandy would like you to spend time with your family and show kindness to someone in need.
