Arnold Van Der Laan

Arnold was born in Hengolo, Netherlands on March 26, 1948 and came to America in 1958, age 10, with his mother, Jentje van der Laan, and father, Reinder van der Laan. His three older siblings remained behind in Holland as they were older and married. Arnold, who was younger, grew up in Utah creating a lot of mischief in his teenage years.
After graduating from East High School, Arnold was drafted into the Vietnam war, but never served. He was a devout Jehovah Witness, so he served two years in Cleveland, Ohio as a hospital orderly instead of going to war.
Following his service in Ohio, he returned to Utah to start school at SLCC trade school in Engineering. He became an Industrial Mechanic where he worked on heating and air conditioning for industrial businesses. At the end of his career, he worked twenty-two years at the Gateway Central Plant with Hines Corporation, where he was the Operations Engineer who ran all the heating and cooling for the Gateway Mall. He was meticulous, methodical, dependable, and a workhorse: an exemplary worker and individual.
Arnold had many interests and passions. He had three cars and two trucks that were always in immaculate and running condition where he did most of the work himself. Another love was going to his Wyoming property every weekend from March to October where he worked on his second home and relaxed. Lastly, he loved going out to eat and enjoyed good food. He was a true friend whom everyone loved and was lucky to have him in their lives. He had a sense of humor and was fun to be around and was always willing to help out.
Even though Arnold lived in America, he took great pride in being Dutch by filling his home with Dutch paintings and antiques, putting Dutch bumper stickers on his vehicles, and keeping his Dutch citizenship till five years ago. He, also, took care of his mother for ten years even when she had cancer at the end of her life. Whether Dutch or American, he was an honest and honorable man who led a good life.
He is survived by his daughter, Michelle van der Laan; granddaughter, Destiny Brinkerhoff; grandson, Quinton Brinkerhoff; great-grandchildren, Riley, Jaxx, Ella, Beau, and Abel; brother, Gerard van der Laan; sister, Jenny van der Laan; and cousin, Haldo van der Laan; cousin, Liliane Hoefnagel.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Jentje van der Laan; father, Reinder van der Laan; and brother, Johann van der Laan.
We want to thank the University of Utah Cardiac Unit for their heroic efforts in trying to save his life.
Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, January 25, 2023 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. with a viewing from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. at Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary & Cemetery, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070. Interment will be at the cemetery afterwards.
Service Information
Viewing January 25, 2023 at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary and Cemetery, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, Utah 84070





Funeral Service
January 25, 2023 at 12:00 PM
Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary and Cemetery, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, Utah 84070