Obituary of Gerrit H. Vanderwerff

Gerrit Vanderwerff, Sr. November 3, 2017 Gerrit Vanderwerff, Sr., 82, of Liverpool, passed away after an extended illness on Friday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse. Born in Appingedam, Holland, he was the son of the late Klaas and Gebiena (Bouwes) Vanderwerff. After coming to the US in 1957, Gerrit met Maria Hemmes, also from Holland, and they married in 1963. Gerrit retired after 27 years from Unisource International in Liverpool, where he was employed as a warehouse supervisor. Previously, he worked for seven years at Eendracht, a paper mill in Holland. Gerrit was a member of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and loved travelling and going on cruises, both international and domestic. In addition to his wife of 54 years, Maria, Gerrit is survived by his son, Gerrit Vanderwerff, Jr., of Liverpool; grandson, Gerrit Vanderwerff, III, of Jamesville; granddaughter, Amber (Virgilio) Payano of Jamesville; and sister, Johanna Fey of Skaneateles. The family will receive friends at a memorial gathering from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at Ballweg & Lunsford Funeral Home, 4612 S. Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13205. Inurnment will be at a later date in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gerrit's name to Roswell Park Cancer Institute at rowellpark.org, or to another cancer charity of your choice. To express sympathy, please visit www.ballweg-lunsford.com.