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Ethan Vanderberg
The world lost a bright light when Ethan Vanderberg, 23, was taken from us suddenly on Thursday, September 24, 2026, due to a tragic vehicle accident while enroute to his cabin.
Ethan was born December 30, 2002 and graduated with high honors from Mona Shores High School, where he spent four years in the marching band. Even then, he was making things happen. He started Logical Lawn Care and brought some of his buddies along to work with him.
Soon after graduation, Ethan headed west to work at Yellowstone National Park, and then took a job maintaining fleet vehicles at Big Sky in Montana. He taught himself how to pull and replace an engine because, when Ethan wanted to learn something, he found a way. He traveled to dozens of national and state parks, collecting a patch from each one. He once set out with friends in the dark so they could reach the summit of Grand Teton.
His travels also took him to Oklahoma, where he lived off the grid in a small, enclosed trailer with solar power and few comforts. His dad visited often. Together, they installed windows in the trailer and took their showers at a nearby state park. Those visits were part of a bond built over years of working side by side. From the time Ethan and his sister Ella were young, they helped their dad with projects around the house. As an adult, Ethan kept helping him with handyman jobs, always ready with an idea for how to do something better. He was his dad’s best sidekick.
Eventually, Ethan came home to Michigan and bought a small farm in Mason County. He raised chickens and sheep, planted pine and apple trees, asparagus and grapes, and worked toward living more self-sufficiently with solar power and wood heat. More recently, he returned to Muskegon and was attending Muskegon Community College with plans to enter its nursing program. Caring for people and helping where he could had always come naturally to him.
Ethan sought out more adventure in 23 years than many people do in a lifetime. He was an old soul, always learning, building, and finding his own way.
He is deeply loved and missed by his mother, Melissa Vanderberg of Whitehall; his father, Brad Vanderberg (Tammy) of Muskegon; his sister, Ella Vanderberg; step-siblings, Emily and Jake Grevel; his grandparents, Ray and Liz Meloche and Kay and Chuck George; and step-grandparents, Bart and Rose Robinson. Ethan also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends who loved him dearly.
In Ethan’s memory, donations may be made to the Mona Shores Public Schools Marching Band or the Shelby-Benona Township Fire Department.
To accommodate all who loved Ethan, separate memorial services will be held. Hosted by Brad and Tammy Vanderberg and the Vanderberg family, a private memorial service for immediate family members will take place on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. An additional celebration of life gathering with extended family members, will be scheduled next summer.
Beacon Cremation & Funeral Service, White Lake Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
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