Obituary of Dirk J. Vandenberg

Dirk John VandenBerg Jr., 73 of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, passed away on October 24, 2022, with his family at his side. Dirk was born to Vivian Elaine Burnett and Dirk John Vandenberg, Sr. on December 2nd, 1948 in Ozone Park, New York. He is survived by his wife of 47 years Francine VandenBerg (Spagna); sister Elaine (David) Brown; son Dirk III (Cameron) and their children John and Eric; daughter Jennifer (Dave) VandenBerg; niece Sandra (Todd) Adest; and many friends scattered across the country. Dirk was caring and helpful to his core. He was the first to arrive whenever help was needed, and his family and friends knew that he could be depended upon. Dirk volunteered and served honorably in the United States Airforce for 4 years on bases in Mississippi, Washington D.C., and Alaska during the Vietnam War. He was a very involved father that enjoyed raising his two children, Dirk and Jennifer. Once his children grew into adults, he moved to Pittsburgh to remain close to them where he helped with many home renovations. As a grandfather, he cared for his grandsons, John and Eric, several days a week. He could always make them smile even on their crankiest of days. He was also a loving and doting pet grandparent to Leia, his canine companion, and Zoey, the long-haired calico. Dirk enjoyed nature and travel all his life. Throughout his childhood, he loved spending time in the woods near his family's home in New Hampshire. As a young father, he spent his weekend and holidays taking his children camping in the family pop-up camper. In 2005, he and Francine took the trip of a lifetime out to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks where they spent 54 nights in a tent! After retirement, Dirk continued to travel, taking several trips across Europe. In 2018, he and Francine bought and built out a camper van, which they took across the country on trips to more of the National Parks such as The Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, and The Badlands. He never tired of driving even on the longest of trips. Throughout his travels, he enjoyed fishing and photography. Dirk was an avid photographer. His love of nature and travel is expressed in the beautiful landscape photographs he was able to capture. After moving to Pittsburgh, Dirk was able to spend more time doing the work he really loved. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Artists and an original member of The Pittsburgh 10 Plus. His work was shown in the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 100th exhibition at the Carnegie Museum, and galleries in and around Pittsburgh and is included in the Pittsburgh Public Schools Art collection. Arrangements entrusted to the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, Inc., 7441 Washington Street Swissvale, PA 15218 www.niedfuneralhome.com