Gary Van Kampen's Obituary
Gary Van Kampen, known to his friends as "Bull" or "Moose", 64, of Alliance, died on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 1:22 a.m. Born on August 15, 1945 in Alliance, he lived in Alliance all of his life and graduated from Alliance High School. He was a U. S. Army veteran, serving two tours in Vietnam as a Sergeant. Gary was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Mr. Van Kampen owned GL Van Kampen Distributing and International Gift Exchange (I.G.E.). He was the past president of the Stark County Veterans Commission and was also a founding member and president of the Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter 157 in Alliance. He was a member of the American Legion in Sebring, the V.F.W. Post 6730, the Christopher Columbus, the Roma Society and the Dante Alighieri Society. He was an avid reader and history buff who loved a good story. He is survived by his daughter, Steffany Van Kampen of Alliance; two sons, Art Van Kampen of Pasadena, CA and Keith Van Kampen of Alliance; five grandchildren; his mother, Lou Van Kampen of Alliance; two sisters, Robin (Steve) Caruso of Alliance and Lori (Fred) Lyberger of GA; two brothers, Art (Linda) Van Kampen of Alliance and Craig (Pearl) Bolog of Alliance; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death was his father, Arthur Van Kampen. The family will receive friends for a gathering at the Christopher Columbus on Sunday, December 20, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Interment will take place at Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, OH.
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