Josiah E. Van Der Hart

November 13, 1999 — August 8, 2025

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I have seen Him, I have known Him for He deigns to walk with me. And the glory of His presence, shall be mine eternally!

Josiah Van Der Hart was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Mark and Dorcas Van Der Hart on November 13th, 1999. At the age of 13, on June 26th 2013 Josiah trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. In his early years he worked around the family automotive shops and especially enjoyed doing auto body repair with his brother Gabe. In the Fall of 2017, at the age of 18, he started work at Henton Trenching. He enjoyed it very much and eventually became a crew foreman.

He was united in marriage to Lydia Meader on September 17th, 2021, and lived in Blair, Nebraska. They were blessed with one son, Matthew.

On July 14th, 2022. Josiah peacefully passed into eternity to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on August 8th 2025 after a long battle with Leukemia cancer.

He was born with a cleft palate, for which he received surgery at the age of two years old. He spoke of looking forward to heaven where it would be healed and he could fully sing!

It was recalled that Josiah said very few words till about the age of two when on a family trip. He was given had some cappuccino and started talking a "million miles an hour" and has talked a lot ever since! As the youngest in the family he got pranked a lot, but it wasn't long before he learned to be nimble and out-wit almost anyone. He was a practical joker but also didn't mind being the victim of practical jokes also. In the spring of 2013 at the family farm place Josiah and his sister Julia found and raised two pet raccoons, Josiah's raccoon was named "Diesel". Diesel was quite a character and brought a lot of amusement wherever he went.

Josiah adored his family and always jumped at the opportunity to buy Matthew a new toy! As a family they enjoyed cooking breakfast at the lake, going on bike rides, going to the zoo and at times going for a boat ride on the lake. He enjoyed doing yard work and landscaping, especially with old equipment pieces. He had a soft spot in his heart for the young people in his life and could be found playing Legos with the young children or having conversation with teenagers.

In a particular way his coworkers enjoyed his contagious laugh where he would laugh so hard he would be out of breath! He was a willing worker and a "Johnny on the spot" wherever he was needed.

In 2023, at the age of 23 he was diagnosed with Leukemia cancer. He endured patiently the many difficult procedures and treatments, as he fought for as much time as possible with his family. He was always grateful to the medical staff who did all they could to treat his cancer, understanding that God's will would be best. He recently came across the Scripture text at Philippians 1:20 and it was a real blessing for him personally to consider. He simply desired and believed that God would be glorified either in His life or death. It reads "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death". Josiah was at perfect peace with God and would smile, right to the end, and say, "I can't wait to see my Saviour". He was also earnest to the end wanting everyone to know the importance of living with purpose because tomorrow isn't promised. And that Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would consider whom they serve Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

To those who don't yet know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior, Josiah would sigh with burden and long that they make the needed time to pursue their peace with God, through Christ alone. Acts 16:31 "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Josiah is survived by his loving wife, Lydia; son, Matthew; parents, Mark and Dorcas Van Der Hart; siblings, Priscilla Frazier (Joel), Mary Rama, Joshua (Bethany), Gabriel, David (Grace), Levi (Elizabeth), Michael, Julia Wentz (Jonathan); grandmother, Ann Van Der Hart and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, other loving family and friends.

Preceded in death by his sister, Deborah Van Der Hart; grandfather, Henry Van Der Hart; grandparents, Samuel and Dorothy Eadie; sister-in-law, Merry Van Der Hart, as well as niece and nephew, Esther & Timothy Van Der Hart.

Services will be held on Thursday (8/14/2025) at the Kennard Auditorium, 305 W 2nd Street, Kennard, NE 68034. Visitation will be from 9:00 - 11:00 AM with Funeral Service at 11:00 AM. Burial to follow at Kennard Cemetery in Kennard, NE. Please direct memorials to the family.

Good Shepherd Funeral Home, Omaha, Nebraska in service to the family.

#2 Funeral leaflet

I have seen Him, I have known Him, for He deigns to walk with me. And the glory of His presence shall be mine eternally!

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In Loving Memory

Josiah Ethan Van Der Hart

November 13th, 1999 ~ August 8th, 2025

Greeting and Opening Prayer

Song: "The Road Leads Home"

Obituary: Isaac Meader

Message: Levi Van Der Hart

Congregation to sing: "Where Jesus is, 'tis Heaven there"

Gospel Message: Justin Meader

Song: "This Blood"

Closing Prayer

Recessional: Instrumental hymns

Graveside service: Kennard Cemetery, directly following funeral

Meal: Kennard Auditorium, following interment

Pallbearers: Kaden Boyce, Kyle Reber, Sam Scheer, Nicholas Olson, Daris Olson, Silas Meader

Honorary Pallbearers: Isaac Meader, Peter Olson

Dear reader, this is my testimony of how God reached and Saved me.

I never had soul trouble growing up. I always knew I needed to be saved but never gave it priority. And then in June of 2013, Evangelist Mr. Robert Surgenor came to Blair for a series of ministry meetings. He began speaking on a Tuesday evening, and continued for the rest of the week in ministry. And then over the weekend my dad asked him if he would preach the Gospel for a few weeks. So on the following Sunday evening (June 23rd) he began preaching the Gospel, and for the first time in my life I was soul troubled. It was an interesting time in my life also, because about a month before that is when I got my pet raccoon, so I was having to care for him constantly. Also I had been listening to Hank the Cow Dog, and had a bunch of his songs recorded on my camera, and I would listen to them as I went about my day. But in the midst of all my distractions, God began to work with me concerning my soul's salvation. I don't remember what Mr. Surgenor spoke on the first or second night, but it was deeply troubling as I faced the realities of my standing before God in all His holiness and me undone in my sin. Tuesday morning I woke up and my need of salvation was the first thing that came to my mind, and in my frustration, thinking that since I couldn't figure salvation out that it must not be for me. I told myself that I was going to quit trying and quit thinking about it and was just going to have to go to Hell. But thankfully God did not cease to strive with me. The second night (Tuesday evening) he spoke about the Ethiopian eunuch, and I remember when I got home that night, I turned to that story in Acts 8: 26-39 and reading it over and over again to see what I was missing. I also turned to Isaiah 53: 1-12 and read there and still couldn't see what the Ethiopian eunuch saw there. I don't remember what he spoke on Wednesday evening, but when I got home, I was looking through my Bible and reading every verse I could remember that had to do with salvation. And as I did that, I came across the verse in Psalms 102: "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto me; in the day when I call answer me speedily."

I remember asking God at that time to help me because I didn't want to perish and spend eternity in Hell away from Him and I knew I couldn't figure it out on my own. I continued reading through the verses and got back to John 3, and reading verses 14-18 and verse 36. As I read verse 36 it became clear. "he that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life"--and as I looked at verses 14-18 it became even clearer that all had been done--the work was completed in Jesus' death on the cross. My sin that had all the days of my life separated me from Jesus, and God was satisfied with the offering of His son, and by faith believing in Him as my Saviour I could go free, because the debt of sin that I owe.

And so it can be for you also. We read in Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our sin separates us from God and causes our death, but on the cross Jesus suffered and died. He died for sin, your sin so that you can go free. The gift of God is eternal life. Jesus died so that we don't have to, and God offers us life through Him. Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. By faith believing on Jesus and the work that He did, God gives us everlasting life. God will save those who trust and believe on His son. I hope and pray this is a help.

Your friend, Josiah.

~~~from obituary and funeral leaflet courtesy of the Washington County, Nebraska Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

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