Visitation begins today (Monday) for the well-known West Michigan fire chief who died Christmas Day in the line of duty.
On December 23, Hamilton Fire Chief David Haverdink was struck by a vehicle while responding to a medical incident with the fire department near Holland, and died of his injuries two days later.
Public visitation runs from 3-7 Monday at Central Wesleyan Church in Holland.
Funeral services with full honors will be held at the church at 1pm Tuesday followed by a procession to Riverside Cemetery.
The public is invited to line the route to honor the chief and his family.
Haverdink served with the Hamilton Fire Department for 51 years, nearly forty as its chief.
He was also a previous Allegan County Sheriff, county commissioner, and co-owner of the Hamilton Distributing Company.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered flags in the state be lowered to half-staff Tuesday in honor of Chief Haverdink.
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Information for visitation, funeral services, and processional for Chief David Haverdink:
Visitation:
Visitation for the general public will be held from 3:00–7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5, at Central Wesleyan Church, 446 W. 40th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423 (Entrance A). Hamilton Fire Personnel will not participate in the general public visitation.
Funeral Services: Funeral services with full honors will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, also at Central Wesleyan Church. The service will be livestreamed at: https://centralevents.online.church/
Parade Route: The Funeral Procession will exit to 146th Avenue and will travel west to 60th Street, south to 136th Avenue and east to Riverside Cemetery on 47th Street. The public is encouraged to line the route from Central Wesleyan in Holland to M40 and 136th Avenue in Hamilton (please reserve 136th Avenue from M40 to 47th Street for the family and Hamilton Fire Department personnel). Please note that Chief Haverdink’s family will be in the lead fire apparatus.
Following the processional, a private graveside service will be held at Riverside Cemetery for Chief Haverdink’s family and Hamilton Fire Department.
