Wilhelmus Anthoinus van de Laar, or Wim to those that knew and loved him, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sept. 13, 2026 in his home region of Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. He was 74 years old.
Wim was born to Leonardus and Martina (Rovers) van de Laar on Oct. 9, 1951 in the city of Veghel, the Netherlands. The second oldest of eight children, Wim spent his boyhood caring for his family, the land, and the animals his family raised on their farm. Wim would go on to explore other interests, but his journey would eventually lead him back to a life sept dedicated to the creatures he loved so well in his youth.
In 1972, Wim met the love of his life, Maria. They married on a beautiful fall day in October 1977 and settled in the village of Venhorst, the Netherlands where they operated a hog farm. The couple welcomed their oldest daughter, Leontien, in 1979. Hanneke followed in 1980 and Jan-Willem in 1982.
Wim’s life was marked by periods of struggle and hardship. 1997 saw the end of the hog operation he and Maria spent their lives building due to the foot and mouth epidemic that struck Europe. Eventually, it was decided that they relocate to the United States, where there was opportunity to establish a dairy farm.
In 2006, Wim, Maria and Leontien (along with her fiancée Bastiaan) said goodbye to all they had ever known and moved to Wells County. Jan-Willem followed shortly after in 2007 while Hanneke and Roland remained in the Netherlands. The van de Laars milked the first cow at Four Leaf Clover Dairy on Nov. 20, 2007.
Tragedy struck again in 2013 when Leontien passed away after a difficult second battle with melanoma. Then, despite the best efforts of the family, the last trailer load of cows pulled out of the drive and the barn doors were closed at Four Leaf Clover Dairy in 2018. In 2023, Wim and Maria’s visa expired, forcing them to leave the home and community they loved and return to the Netherlands.
Through it all, Wim continued looking for the light, refusing to let the difficult times keep him down for long. He was devoted to his family, loved a good party and a good laugh, and had an infectious smile that warmed the hearts of anyone that was fortunate enough to know him.
In addition to Leontein, Wim is proceeded in death by his parents, Leonardus and Martina. He is survived by his wife, Maria, as well as his children Hanneke (Roland) and Jan-Willem (Meagan), grandchildren Lila, Lucas, and Lucy, and siblings Francien, Harry, John, Leo, Martje, Thea, and Tony.
A livestream of the funeral service will be available at crematoriumtlaar.nl/livestream/ with the code N-AM3NYEW7 on Monday, September 21 at 8:30 am EDT. Flowers can be sent to Crematorium ‘t Laar, Oranjelaan 54 in Beek in Donk, the Netherlands.