James D. VanBecelaere's Obituary
James Donald VanBecelaere, 91, passed away on March 25th in Pittsburg. Jim was born on February 4, 1935 in Pittsburg, KS to James and Grace Meiers Van Becelaere. He attended St. Mary’s Grade School and St. Mary’s High School in Pittsburg and graduated in 1953. Jim joined the army from 1956 to 1958. He married Wava Martin from Columbus, KS in 1957, and they recently celebrated 68 years of marriage. She survives of the home.
While in high school, Jim worked at Melvin Lamb’s Texaco Service and Postai’s Auto Service, where he developed a lifetime affinity for cars. Following his time in the army, he served an apprenticeship with KC Southern. After that, he began working for P & M Coal Company where he was involved in the erection and maintenance of Big Brutus until he opened his own business, VanBecelaere Machine Works, in 1967. He started his business with a single lathe in the basement of his home on Elm Street in Pittsburg, and eventually, in 1972, relocated the shop to 5th and Grand.
A resident of Pittsburg his entire life, Jim loved his hometown. He served on the Board of Directors for Bank IV and on the Board of Mt. Carmel Medical Center Foundation. He was a lifetime member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and devoted his life to serving the parish and school. He was instrumental in starting the Memorial Fund at OLOL and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Jim retired from the machine shop in 1999 and took up motor cycle riding. He rode over 100,000 miles on his Harley, covering all 50 states, including several trips to Sturgis. After 20 years of riding, he decided to retire at age 84. Besides motorcycles, Jim was a car enthusiast. He collected Mustangs and restored several vehicles including a 1939 Ford, which was his original car that he drove when he and Wava began dating. He also restored a 1940 pickup, a 1928 Model A Ford, and a 1949 Ford 8N tractor. He was a member of the Heartland of America Motorcycle Club and the Rolling Nostalgia Car Club.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his eight children, seven of whom reside in Pittsburg: Jim (Annette), Vince (Theresa), Anna Boler (Larry), Audrey Dickey (Mike), John (Tracie), Alice Coltrane (Mike) of Wichita, Clara Barnes (Dave), and Joel (Ami).
Thirty-three grandchildren: Crezentia VanBecelaere (Danny Davis), Jimmy (Stacey), Jake (Kelly), Jessica (Craig) Helwig, Faith (Brandon) Hall / Erin (Mike) ODell, VJ (Brooke), Nathan (Rachel), Evan (Emily), Thomas (Rachel), Grace (Cody) Spencer / Ryan (Laura) Boler, Lindsey (Garret) Forsythe, Jordan (Brian) Coomes, Chelsea (Kyle) Henry / Zac (Nicole) Dickey, Hillary (Brannon) Green, Emily Dickey, Billy Dickey / Mattie (Nathan) Toney, Garret (Lucy), Gabby (Colton) Darrow, Dalton VanBecelaere / Margo (David) Kaufman, Brooke (Geoffrey) Amend, and Jace Coltrane / Adam (Hannah) Barnes, Marlie (Jake) Gillespie, Rachel (Austin) Panko, Carter (Chloe) Barnes / Marci (Clint) Heffern, Derek VanBecelaere, and Kelci VanBecelaere and 61 great grandchildren, with 5 on the way.
He is also survived by his brother George VanBecelaere (Tulsa, OK), and three sisters: Mary Joann Shipman Swartzwelder (Bixby, OK), Margaret Patterson (Parsons, KS), and Elizabeth Petty (Grove, OK).
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00am Monday March 30, 2026 at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Pittsburg, KS with Fr. Michael Simone as celebrant. Rosary will be recited at 5:00pm Sunday March 29, 2026 at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church; family will receive friends following the rosary at the church. Friends and family can pay their respect at the funeral home after 11am Sunday. In lieu of flowers the family asks expressions of sympathy to be in the form of memorials to the Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Fund and/or Vie Medical Clinic. Friends may drop off or mail memorials to Bath-Naylor Funeral Home 522 S. Broadway Pittsburg, KS 66762. Condolences may be left at https://www.bathnaylor.com. Arrangements and services are under the direction of Bath-Naylor Funeral Home of Pittsburg, KS.
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