Theodore "Ted" J. Van Der Zalm

He was born March 10, 1942 in Noordwijk, Netherlands, the eldest son of Arie and Marie (Jansen) Van Der Zalm. He lived a unique life marked by faith, service, family and dedication to his community. Ted was a devout Catholic, which sustained him through challenging times in his adventurous life.

Surviving are four children, Susan Sims of VA, Laura (John) Dolan of IL, Robert (Jayne) Van Der Zalm of WY and Julia Van Der Zalm of KS; 13 grandchildren, Jeffrey Cammiso, Danielle (Michael) Warth, Jessica (Justin) Wilson, Timothy (Gabby) Blair, Rachel (Mathias) Dolan-Nielsen, Megan (Tana) Dolan-Smithsakol, Thomas Dolan, Jessica Dolan, Justin Van Der Zalm, Tyler Van Der Zalm, Morgan Van Der Zalm, Samuel Dickey, Matthew Levi Dickey and nine great-grandchildren. Also surviving are two brothers, Hans (Marja) Van Der Zalm, Adrian (Betty) Van Der Zalm and one sister, Ria Jansen, all of the Netherlands; extended family in Holland; and his former wife, Gail (Marcotte) Stoffel.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one son, Thomas Van Der Zalm.

Ted was a United States Army veteran, who served in the Army Aviation Division stationed in St. Louis, MO. In his professional life, he was a Certified Public Accountant with his own private accounting practice in Homewood-Flossmoor, IL.

Ted was passionate about flying airplanes. Because of his love of flying, he became a Captain in Civil Air Patrol and was Commander of the Park Forest Squadron in Park Forest, IL. As Commander, he led the team that competed in the Search & Rescue Competition (SARCOMP) that won first in their division.

He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus for many years, in both the Chicagoland area and LeRoy, IL.

His funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, October 26, 2026 at St Mary Catholic Church, 108 E Washington St, Downs, IL, where visitation will be one hour prior at the church. Interment will immediately follow services at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington, IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Ted, may be made to the Bishop Edward O'Rourke Council at St. Mary's Church, Downs, IL (Knights of Columbus).

To share condolences with the family and view his online tribute, please visit EastLawnMemorial.com