Photo of the Van Essen family taken earlier this year.
The Story:
Matthew & Sarah Van Essen's third eldest son, David, drowned in the Missouri River in Montana on June 14th where he was spending the summer helping with carpentry. His body was found the next morning further down the river on June 15th. He was 17 years old. We are thankful that David knew the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.
Matthew & Sarah VanEssen and family have driven the 17 hours from Nebraska to Montana where they will be for a few days and then return to Nebraska for the funeral & burial.
David Van Essen FUND
Many of you have been asking how you can help the Van Essens with the repatriation and funeral costs of David Van Essen.
Friends have kindly made this fund available as a secure way to transfer 100% of your gifts to Matthew & Sarah Van Essen. Click on the link below. You can donate in US Dollars, British Pound Sterling, or Canadian Dollars.
https://donorbox.org/david-
Facebook Group:
There is also a Facebook group
we use to post these blog updates you can join it here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/157958231228091/
Funeral info:
Saturday June 26 at 10 am. CDT
At First Evangelical Free church.
3280 S. 84th St., Lincoln, NE 68506
https://firstfreelincoln.org
For those watching to watch the live here are the times in other time zones:
PDT: 8am / MDT: 9am / CDT: 10am / EDT: 11am / ADT: 12 noon
Visitation
Friday June 25th 3-7 pm with family present 5-7 pm, At Roper and Sons 4300 O st. Lincoln NE.
Funeral
10 am Saturday June 26 2021. First Free Church ,3280 S 84th st, Lincoln NE.
Graveside service
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to The Ezekiel Project ( tepse.org)
Condolences online at https://roperandsons.com/
Live stream link will be available on the Roper and sons website.
David Nathanael Van Essen, 17, of Greenwood, NE passed away June 14, 2021, in Cascade, MT. Born January 11, 2004, in Omaha, NE to Matthew and Sarah (Brooks) Van Essen,
David was a member of Hollywood Heights Bible Chapel.
Family members include his parents Matthew and Sarah Van Essen; siblings Caleb, Timothy, Lilias, Linia, Nehemiah, Miriam, Jeremiah, Samuel, Joel, Micah, and Cassia; grandfather Don Brooks; grandmother Patricia Van Essen; aunts and uncles David and Desiree Van Essen, Dennis and Valerie Easton, Richard and Katherine Brooks, and Leonard and Rachel VandenBerg. Preceded in death by his grandmother Elva Brooks and grandfather John Van Essen.
Funeral Service: 10:00 a.m. Saturday (6-26-21) First Free Church, 3280 S. 84th Street. Livestream at roperandsons.com/livestream. Graveside service will be in the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.
Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. Friday with family present from 5-7 p.m. at Roper and Sons Midtown Chapel, 4300 ‘O’ Street.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Ezekiel Project (tepse.org)
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For Map of where the church is that the Funereal will be at:
Click on the map of the Lincoln below to see it larger.
