William Marinus Van Setten Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

William Marinus Van Setten was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to William and Laura Van Setten. Billy was well loved and spoiled by his two big sisters, Elizabeth and Jennette. The family lived in various places in Iowa and Michigan. Unfortunately, Bill’s parents separated. Sometime afterwards his mother received a mysterious letter from California. This letter changed Bill’s life. The letter was written by Laura’s birth sister. She had always known she was adopted but never knew much about her biological family. From that letter, she learned that she had a father, a mother, eight brothers, and four sisters. Many letters were exchanged between Michigan and California. Laura’s family begged her to move to California. So she made plans to move. After the long trip across the country and 33 years of separation, the reunion was quite a thrill. Bill was 4 years old at this time. The family first landed in Long Beach and then settled in Bellflower. Bill went to public school and then Christian school from the fifth to 8th grades. He transferred to Bellflower High School because they had shop classes. There in the tenth grade he noticed a cute girl named, Lola Irene Morris. Everyone called her, “Dolly”. She was born in lowa and came to California in the second grade when her dad went to work for Douglas Aircraft. Bill got Dolly’s attention by offering to take her to school. At first, she wasn't very interested in this Dutch guy but liked not having to walk to school. They dated on and off in high school. Finally, in their senior year they became more serious. They made plans to marry. Bill proposed marriage in his 1940 Chevy coupe. They set the date for April Fool's day, 1955. They were married in the brand new Bethany Christian Reformed Church. The beautiful day was somewhat marred by the separation and tension between Dolly's parents. The Morris' divorced soon afterwards. Following a honeymoon in Del Mar the couple set up housekeeping in a rented upstairs apartment. A year later they bought their first house on Ardis Street in Bellflower. Bill worked at Swedlow Plastics manufacturing plant. Dolly worked at Zellerbach Paper Company. Dolly worked there until their daughter, Vickie Ann came along in 1957. Meanwhile, Bill became unsatisfied with factory work, and he bought a tire changer truck and route that serviced used car lots. By working long and hard hours Bill made that business profitable. He must have had some time for fun because William Robert “Bobbie” came along in 1960. Bill also enjoyed boating during these years. He and his friends loved water skiing. He formed a partnership with Ken Myers that made and repaired boats. In 1965, he bought a retread shop in Lynwood. This proved to be a very trying venture. Bill and Dolly became business partners. Bill ran the retread shop, inventory control, and sales. Dolly became the bookkeeper. They learned a lot about tires, people, and business during that time. In 1969 they sold that business and set up shop in Bellflower. For a while they opened a tire store on Clark and Olive. Then, in 1970, Bill leased an old pottery shop on Alondra. There, with the help of many friends, he transformed it into a tire and car detail shop. At first, to make ends meet, Bill and Dolly detailed three used cars a day. After a while word spread that people would receive a fair deal at Bill's Tire Shop and business grew. As the years passed, Bill and Dolly were able to buy the Alondra property and invest in other properties in Bellflower. They both were very proud of passing California’s real estate exam and became realtors. Bill joined a community service club. His life was enriched by his 47 years of involvement with Kiwanis. As a couple, they enjoyed camping. They bought several motorhomes and had many adventures with the Family Motorcoach Association. They especially loved their monthly outings with their “Same Old Senior” group called, “SOS”. Additionally, Bill enjoyed owning and collecting hot rods. They attended many car shows and occasionally won trophies. Bill also collected antique tractors. He was an active member of the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista, California. He drove his tractors in many of their parades. Bill and Dolly attended Bethel Reformed Church and Emmanuel Reformed Church. In the early 70's, they participated in several week-long Christian conferences that taught about the importance of marriage and leaving a legacy of faith behind for the next generation. They were challenged to stop the cycle of divorce that was invading our society. Bill and Dolly took that message to heart. This commitment to the Lord and each other saw them through hard and good times. They survived mental illness, near bankruptcy, extreme health concerns, and extended family problems all by relying on the Lord and each other. Vickie and Bob benefited from witnessing their commitment to the Lord and one another. They saw first hand that they did not always agree but we always knew they really loved one another. This love was put to the test when Dolly developed Frontotemporal Dementia. Bill became her caregiver for seven years until she passed away in 2012. Everyone who knew him saw how he grieved her illness and passing. After Dolly’s death, what kept Bill going was his faith in God and the support he received from his many friends and family members. He became acquainted with Pastor Mike Larsen from Encounter Church and decided to attend there. Bill was very socially active. He loved attending Southern Gospel music concerts and enjoyed introducing others to this genre which promotes a spirit of hope and provided an outlet to worship God. In 2021, Bill experienced major health crises. He had a stroke, bleeding ulcer, pinched bile duct, and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Thankfully, he was well cared for in his home by caregivers, Joe and Amor Casino. Bill passed away on February 11, 2022 from pneumonia. He is survived by his daughter, Vickie Ruiter and her husband, Daniel, his son, Bob Van Setten and his wife, Debra, 8 grandchildren: Deborah Richardson, Joel Ruiter, Caleb Van Setten, Naomi Myers, Ethan Van Setten, Micah Van Setten, Isaac Van Setten, and Kenan Van Setten, 5 great grandchildren: Joy Richardson, Jack Richardson, Claire Van Setten, Samuel Myers, Elijah Myers, and many nieces and nephews. Donations can be made to Encounter Church, 10012 Ramona Street, Bellflower, CA 90706 or to the Bellflower Kiwanis Club. There will be visitation from 4 to 7pm at Encounter Church’s chapel on Feb. 25. Burial at 9am at Olive Lawn Memorial Park, and the Celebration of Life at noon on Feb. 26 in Encounter Church’s sanctuary.

William Marinus Van Setten

October 10, 1934 - February 11, 2022