The Seattle Times
Seattle, Washington
Tuesday, 4 March 1997
REV. JAMES VAN GOGH 'JUST LOVED BEING PRIEST'
At age 13, when most boys are thinking about anything but their future, James van Gogh picked his career. He never regretted the decision to join the seminary and eventually become a priest.
The Rev. van Gogh (pronounced "van goff") died Thursday (Feb. 27) at age 71, following a heart attack several days earlier. He had been a priest since 1950, a career that touched thousands of lives at parishes in Seattle, Kent and Lynden, Whatcom County.
"The ripple effect of this good man just goes on and on," says Helen Hogan, who met him 47 years ago.
"He was a very caring man who never gave up on you. He'd accept you like you are. How many people are like that? Maybe your mother."
He had his vices - cigarettes and cigars, which he agreed to give up years ago after a warning from his heart doctor. But he did not give up the "holy hour," his joking reference to his nightly Rob Roy, a drink made from Scotch and vermouth. The Rev. van Gogh was a man of strict habits, faithfully scheduled appointments and duties performed on time, including one Rob Roy, and only one, before dinner. And so it went for his last meal, said his longtime housekeeper and secretary, Bernice McDonald.
The Rev. van Gogh had just returned from a month in Palm Springs. Just off the plane Feb. 15, he had his drink and dinner, but this time he declined to eat his dessert cookie. There was an odd sound to his voice, McDonald said. He took one step, then collapsed. Medics revived his heart but he never regained consciousness.
The Rev. van Gogh was born in 1925 in Vancouver, Wash., the child of Anton and Johanna van Gogh, devout immigrants from Holland. (A court in Holland once inquired if they were related to the famous painter, Vincent van Gogh, but they weren't.)
Anton van Gogh found work in Vancouver as a sacristan, a person who assists a priest by repairing church property and tending to vestments and other sacramental items. He and his wife raised five children.
James van Gogh left home at age 13 to join St. Edward's Seminary in Kenmore. He would come home in the summer and Christmas, but he didn't mind the separation from his family, said his sister Josephine Emond. "He seemed to like the discipline and order of the seminary," she said.
He became a priest in 1950 and retired from active duties in 1991, but he continued to substitute for ill or vacationing priests. Though a priest can work long hours, feel called upon endlessly and sometimes have to referee political squabbles within a parish, the Rev. van Gogh never complained. Nor did he harbor ambitions to be a bishop, said his sister. "He just loved being a priest," Emond said. "He loved helping people. Most priests take Tuesday off. He never did. He always found work to do."
He loved jokes, but he was better at listening than telling. He had trouble remembering punch lines, so he'd scribble down a good joke as soon as he heard it. He had beautiful penmanship, using either hand.
Among the parishes where he served the longest were St. Joseph's in Lynden, which had three satellite parishes; St. Margaret's in Interbay in Seattle; and Holy Rosary in West Seattle.
If he wasn't baptizing, marrying, burying or serving communion to parishioners, the Rev. van Gogh was often found visiting their homes for dinner or offering help as a carpenter, painter or a handyman. He loved to garden, especially cultivating roses. The one thing he said he couldn't do was cook. "I can't boil water," he said.
Several services are scheduled: a vigil tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, a funeral Mass Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral; and burial Friday at 12:30 p.m. at St. James Acres in Vancouver, where his parents are buried.y, of Tucson; and many nieces and nephews.
Remembrances may be made to the Priests' Retirement Fund, Archdiocese of Seattle, 910 Marion St., Seattle 98104.
Seattle, Washington
Tuesday, 4 March 1997
REV. JAMES VAN GOGH 'JUST LOVED BEING PRIEST'
At age 13, when most boys are thinking about anything but their future, James van Gogh picked his career. He never regretted the decision to join the seminary and eventually become a priest.
The Rev. van Gogh (pronounced "van goff") died Thursday (Feb. 27) at age 71, following a heart attack several days earlier. He had been a priest since 1950, a career that touched thousands of lives at parishes in Seattle, Kent and Lynden, Whatcom County.
"The ripple effect of this good man just goes on and on," says Helen Hogan, who met him 47 years ago.
"He was a very caring man who never gave up on you. He'd accept you like you are. How many people are like that? Maybe your mother."
He had his vices - cigarettes and cigars, which he agreed to give up years ago after a warning from his heart doctor. But he did not give up the "holy hour," his joking reference to his nightly Rob Roy, a drink made from Scotch and vermouth. The Rev. van Gogh was a man of strict habits, faithfully scheduled appointments and duties performed on time, including one Rob Roy, and only one, before dinner. And so it went for his last meal, said his longtime housekeeper and secretary, Bernice McDonald.
The Rev. van Gogh had just returned from a month in Palm Springs. Just off the plane Feb. 15, he had his drink and dinner, but this time he declined to eat his dessert cookie. There was an odd sound to his voice, McDonald said. He took one step, then collapsed. Medics revived his heart but he never regained consciousness.
The Rev. van Gogh was born in 1925 in Vancouver, Wash., the child of Anton and Johanna van Gogh, devout immigrants from Holland. (A court in Holland once inquired if they were related to the famous painter, Vincent van Gogh, but they weren't.)
Anton van Gogh found work in Vancouver as a sacristan, a person who assists a priest by repairing church property and tending to vestments and other sacramental items. He and his wife raised five children.
James van Gogh left home at age 13 to join St. Edward's Seminary in Kenmore. He would come home in the summer and Christmas, but he didn't mind the separation from his family, said his sister Josephine Emond. "He seemed to like the discipline and order of the seminary," she said.
He became a priest in 1950 and retired from active duties in 1991, but he continued to substitute for ill or vacationing priests. Though a priest can work long hours, feel called upon endlessly and sometimes have to referee political squabbles within a parish, the Rev. van Gogh never complained. Nor did he harbor ambitions to be a bishop, said his sister. "He just loved being a priest," Emond said. "He loved helping people. Most priests take Tuesday off. He never did. He always found work to do."
He loved jokes, but he was better at listening than telling. He had trouble remembering punch lines, so he'd scribble down a good joke as soon as he heard it. He had beautiful penmanship, using either hand.
Among the parishes where he served the longest were St. Joseph's in Lynden, which had three satellite parishes; St. Margaret's in Interbay in Seattle; and Holy Rosary in West Seattle.
If he wasn't baptizing, marrying, burying or serving communion to parishioners, the Rev. van Gogh was often found visiting their homes for dinner or offering help as a carpenter, painter or a handyman. He loved to garden, especially cultivating roses. The one thing he said he couldn't do was cook. "I can't boil water," he said.
Several services are scheduled: a vigil tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, a funeral Mass Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral; and burial Friday at 12:30 p.m. at St. James Acres in Vancouver, where his parents are buried.y, of Tucson; and many nieces and nephews.
Remembrances may be made to the Priests' Retirement Fund, Archdiocese of Seattle, 910 Marion St., Seattle 98104.
The Seattle Times
Seattle, Washington
Tuesday, 4 March 1997
REV. JAMES VAN GOGH 'JUST LOVED BEING PRIEST'
At age 13, when most boys are thinking about anything but their future, James van Gogh picked his career. He never regretted the decision to join the seminary and eventually become a priest.
The Rev. van Gogh (pronounced "van goff") died Thursday (Feb. 27) at age 71, following a heart attack several days earlier. He had been a priest since 1950, a career that touched thousands of lives at parishes in Seattle, Kent and Lynden, Whatcom County.
"The ripple effect of this good man just goes on and on," says Helen Hogan, who met him 47 years ago.
"He was a very caring man who never gave up on you. He'd accept you like you are. How many people are like that? Maybe your mother."
He had his vices - cigarettes and cigars, which he agreed to give up years ago after a warning from his heart doctor. But he did not give up the "holy hour," his joking reference to his nightly Rob Roy, a drink made from Scotch and vermouth. The Rev. van Gogh was a man of strict habits, faithfully scheduled appointments and duties performed on time, including one Rob Roy, and only one, before dinner. And so it went for his last meal, said his longtime housekeeper and secretary, Bernice McDonald.
The Rev. van Gogh had just returned from a month in Palm Springs. Just off the plane Feb. 15, he had his drink and dinner, but this time he declined to eat his dessert cookie. There was an odd sound to his voice, McDonald said. He took one step, then collapsed. Medics revived his heart but he never regained consciousness.
The Rev. van Gogh was born in 1925 in Vancouver, Wash., the child of Anton and Johanna van Gogh, devout immigrants from Holland. (A court in Holland once inquired if they were related to the famous painter, Vincent van Gogh, but they weren't.)
Anton van Gogh found work in Vancouver as a sacristan, a person who assists a priest by repairing church property and tending to vestments and other sacramental items. He and his wife raised five children.
James van Gogh left home at age 13 to join St. Edward's Seminary in Kenmore. He would come home in the summer and Christmas, but he didn't mind the separation from his family, said his sister Josephine Emond. "He seemed to like the discipline and order of the seminary," she said.
He became a priest in 1950 and retired from active duties in 1991, but he continued to substitute for ill or vacationing priests. Though a priest can work long hours, feel called upon endlessly and sometimes have to referee political squabbles within a parish, the Rev. van Gogh never complained. Nor did he harbor ambitions to be a bishop, said his sister. "He just loved being a priest," Emond said. "He loved helping people. Most priests take Tuesday off. He never did. He always found work to do."
He loved jokes, but he was better at listening than telling. He had trouble remembering punch lines, so he'd scribble down a good joke as soon as he heard it. He had beautiful penmanship, using either hand.
Among the parishes where he served the longest were St. Joseph's in Lynden, which had three satellite parishes; St. Margaret's in Interbay in Seattle; and Holy Rosary in West Seattle.
If he wasn't baptizing, marrying, burying or serving communion to parishioners, the Rev. van Gogh was often found visiting their homes for dinner or offering help as a carpenter, painter or a handyman. He loved to garden, especially cultivating roses. The one thing he said he couldn't do was cook. "I can't boil water," he said.
Several services are scheduled: a vigil tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, a funeral Mass Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral; and burial Friday at 12:30 p.m. at St. James Acres in Vancouver, where his parents are buried.y, of Tucson; and many nieces and nephews.
Remembrances may be made to the Priests' Retirement Fund, Archdiocese of Seattle, 910 Marion St., Seattle 98104.
Seattle, Washington
Tuesday, 4 March 1997
REV. JAMES VAN GOGH 'JUST LOVED BEING PRIEST'
At age 13, when most boys are thinking about anything but their future, James van Gogh picked his career. He never regretted the decision to join the seminary and eventually become a priest.
The Rev. van Gogh (pronounced "van goff") died Thursday (Feb. 27) at age 71, following a heart attack several days earlier. He had been a priest since 1950, a career that touched thousands of lives at parishes in Seattle, Kent and Lynden, Whatcom County.
"The ripple effect of this good man just goes on and on," says Helen Hogan, who met him 47 years ago.
"He was a very caring man who never gave up on you. He'd accept you like you are. How many people are like that? Maybe your mother."
He had his vices - cigarettes and cigars, which he agreed to give up years ago after a warning from his heart doctor. But he did not give up the "holy hour," his joking reference to his nightly Rob Roy, a drink made from Scotch and vermouth. The Rev. van Gogh was a man of strict habits, faithfully scheduled appointments and duties performed on time, including one Rob Roy, and only one, before dinner. And so it went for his last meal, said his longtime housekeeper and secretary, Bernice McDonald.
The Rev. van Gogh had just returned from a month in Palm Springs. Just off the plane Feb. 15, he had his drink and dinner, but this time he declined to eat his dessert cookie. There was an odd sound to his voice, McDonald said. He took one step, then collapsed. Medics revived his heart but he never regained consciousness.
The Rev. van Gogh was born in 1925 in Vancouver, Wash., the child of Anton and Johanna van Gogh, devout immigrants from Holland. (A court in Holland once inquired if they were related to the famous painter, Vincent van Gogh, but they weren't.)
Anton van Gogh found work in Vancouver as a sacristan, a person who assists a priest by repairing church property and tending to vestments and other sacramental items. He and his wife raised five children.
James van Gogh left home at age 13 to join St. Edward's Seminary in Kenmore. He would come home in the summer and Christmas, but he didn't mind the separation from his family, said his sister Josephine Emond. "He seemed to like the discipline and order of the seminary," she said.
He became a priest in 1950 and retired from active duties in 1991, but he continued to substitute for ill or vacationing priests. Though a priest can work long hours, feel called upon endlessly and sometimes have to referee political squabbles within a parish, the Rev. van Gogh never complained. Nor did he harbor ambitions to be a bishop, said his sister. "He just loved being a priest," Emond said. "He loved helping people. Most priests take Tuesday off. He never did. He always found work to do."
He loved jokes, but he was better at listening than telling. He had trouble remembering punch lines, so he'd scribble down a good joke as soon as he heard it. He had beautiful penmanship, using either hand.
Among the parishes where he served the longest were St. Joseph's in Lynden, which had three satellite parishes; St. Margaret's in Interbay in Seattle; and Holy Rosary in West Seattle.
If he wasn't baptizing, marrying, burying or serving communion to parishioners, the Rev. van Gogh was often found visiting their homes for dinner or offering help as a carpenter, painter or a handyman. He loved to garden, especially cultivating roses. The one thing he said he couldn't do was cook. "I can't boil water," he said.
Several services are scheduled: a vigil tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, a funeral Mass Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the cathedral; and burial Friday at 12:30 p.m. at St. James Acres in Vancouver, where his parents are buried.y, of Tucson; and many nieces and nephews.
Remembrances may be made to the Priests' Retirement Fund, Archdiocese of Seattle, 910 Marion St., Seattle 98104.
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REV. JAMES A. van GOGH
JULY 26, 1925
FEBRUARY 27, 1997
ORDAINED: MARCH 25, 1950
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