John Heuvel

John Vanden Heuvel, 59, of Madison, died Friday March 24, 2017 at Agrace Hospice Care, surrounded by his family. Throughout the last two months John demonstrated the power of endurance and the strength of love. John was born on February 2, 1958 in Madison, the son of Joan (Sandman) and Norbert Vanden Heuvel. He was the fifth of eight children. He was married to Bridget Murray and their son, Nicholas, was the light of John's life. When he spoke of Nick he glowed with pride and admiration.

John attended Our Lady Queen of Peace grade school and West High School. After high school he served four years in the U. S. Marine Corps. He worked in the cable industry and was known for his ability to improvise solutions for all problems (hence his nickname, 'MacGyver' ). He was also an insurance account representative and most recently was training to become a veterinary technician. He seemed to forge a special connection with almost every animal, wild or domesticated, that he met. Family and friends often discovered that no matter how devoted their dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, etc. were to their owners, their pets responded to John as if he had magical powers. John and Bridget's pug Olive, however, remained his favorite.

John was a member of the Madison Veteran Firing Squad, which performs at the funerals of veterans. John and his wife Bridget were talented gardeners who created a beautiful oasis in their back yard every spring and summer.

His smile, loving heart and gentle soul drew people to him. He was always the first to offer help to anyone in need and the first to thank others when they did something for him. He has been an exceptional friend and helpmate to his father, with whom he had a deep and special bond. He was a brilliant punster, could sing like Elvis, and knew every band and song written between 1950 and 2000. The last concert he attended was Tony Bennett in October 2016. John was as enthralled with the 90 year artist as he would have been with Cheap Trick. He was also a passionate Packer fan whose collection of Packer gear was legendary.

Thanks to the amazing UW transplant team, and the generosity of a donor, his family and friends were blessed with nearly 12 years of John's life he would not otherwise have had. He was deeply grateful to everyone who worked so hard to save his life over the last fifteen years and especially in the last two months. He admired, appreciated and loved his nurses, nursing assistants, doctors and all the other members of the care team. They were like family to him.

He is survived by his wife Bridget, his son Nicholas, his father Norbert, his mother-in-law Colette Murray, his siblings Kathleen, Mary (Paul Blend), Mike (Tracy) , Bob (Kathy Hudak), Jane (Mick Richards), Dan (Cindy), nieces Elizabeth (Rob) O'Shaughnessy, Jessica (Chris) Sweetland, Rebekah (Ray) Hibbert, nephews Joseph and Benjamin Vanden Heuvel, grand nephews and nieces Aengus and Cora Jane O'Shaughnessy and Lane and Eloise Sweetland and Gabriel Rose and brothers-in-law Mike, Quentin, Patrick, Timothy, and Matthew Murray.

He was preceded in death by his beloved mother Joan and brother Stephen, his grandparents Maxine (Healy) and R.D. Sandman, and Riki (van Grinsven) and George van den Heuvel.

The funeral will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Madison on Thursday March 30. Visitation will be from 10-11 AM; funeral mass at 11. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, with a lunch to follow at Queen of Peace.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the UW Transplant Program: http://www.uwhealth.org/transplant