Jacob Benjamin vanLeeuwen Obituary (1988

Jacob Benjamin vanLeeuwen (Yacob), 32, of Boise was reunited with his best friend, his father, on 21 February 2021. Born 18 August 1988 at St. Luke's to Lori Beth Brownfield vanLeeuwen and Joseph Sanders vanLeeuwen, he was the fourth of six children. He graduated from Capital High School in 2006 and began working for TML Heating and Air Conditioning. He was a loyal and hardworking employee for 15 years as a Commercial HVAC installer. At a young age, he mastered the ability of moving food he didn't want onto his older sister's plate and twirling her fork into her hair. He was overprotective of his siblings. He would sit at the table even after he was done eating so that his youngest brother would not be eating alone. He was a connoisseur of collecting stitches and his childhood best friend kept him from collecting more. He had a playful nature that only came out around close family and friends where he felt safe. He was the quiet and reserved one to the outside eye, always staying in the background unless his passion pushed him to speak his mind. He had an attitude of service. If you needed help with something, and he was able, he would. He was an artist with words and metal. His discussions were quite philosophical. He was always ready to have a challenging dialogue about the simple and the complex that maybe he wasn't qualified to talk about but was definitely interested in pondering and fleshing out ideas. He was a lover of nature and animals. His faith in his trucks always got him through his adventures. He was the master MacGyver and director of fireworks safety. He loved to spend his free time playing Space Engineers on his Xbox. It served as another window into his creative mind. He gave all his love and devotion to his family, which included his friends. He is preceded in death by his father, paternal grandparents, maternal grandmother, and various aunts, uncles and cousins. He is survived by his mother, maternal grandfather, brother Joseph (Michelle) of Virginia Beach, sister Kandi of Boise, sister Anna Elsen (Dalton) of Boise, sister Katrina White (Taylor) of Pocatello, brother Lorenzo of Boise, his niece, and numerous nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. A Gathering of Love will be held at Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. Nampa, Saturday 27 February 2021 from 2pm to 4pm with a Sharing of Memories at 3pm. Celebration of Life will be planned for warmer weather. Jacob Benjamin VanLeeuwen, 32, of Boise, passed away at his home on Feb. 21, 2021. A viewing will be held from 2-4pm with sharing of memories at 3pm on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. Nampa. (208) 467-7300.