HAROLD PETER DEGRAAF

COLCHESTER — Harold Peter DeGraaf passed away in the early morning hours of June 16, 2026, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. After years of living with the effects of heart failure and months of debilitating pain, he was finally able to rest and be welcomed into the loving arms of his Savior Jesus Christ.

He was born on May 4, 1959, in Middlebury, Vt., the only one of his siblings to be born in the United States. He grew up in Panton on the family farm. After high school he bought his father’s share of the farm and farmed many years in partnership with his brother Bob.

In 2004 he bought his brother’s share and finally ended up buying and moving to his parents-in-law’s farm in Richmond. This he now leaves to his children to work and manage.

He married Anje DeGraaf (b. Verburg) in 1992 and together they raised four children, Nicholas, Michael, Tristan, and Renae.

Besides his immediate family, he leaves behind five siblings and their spouses, John and Elisabeth, Robert and Joan, Charles and Victoria, Gerrit and June, and Martha and Bert; and, his brother-in-law, Ted. He is also survived by in-law siblings Adriaan and Shari, Sjabbo and Joann, Wynie and Lou, Elisabeth and Mark, and Case and Betty; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister Agnes and predeceased by his brother-in-law Sander.

He was a lifetime member of the Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church.

Visiting hours will be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, June 21, at Brown-McClay Funeral Home in Vergennes. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 26, at Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church in Vergennes.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt., or the Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church in Vergennes, Vt.◊