Fritz Michael Vande Maele, age 76 of Bitely passed away Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Fritz was born in 1945 to Joseph and Laura (Tatro) Vande Maele and was raised in Portage with his sisters, Mary Anne and Sid and his brother, Joe. In 1962, he met the love of his life, Helen Miller and they were married in 1964. Together, they started their family in Portage and then moved to Mattawan where they built a home and raised their daughter and 4 sons, Christy, Terry, Denny, Greg and Mark. They spent many weekends at the race track. Fritz was a volunteer fireman in Mattawan and enjoyed doing woodworking, snowmobiling, and driving dune buggies through the woods with Helen and the kids. Fritz had been a master plumber/pipefitter for Local #357 in Kalamazoo for many years and had worked as a flagman at many different racetracks throughout the years including, Galesburg, Hartford, Kalamazoo, Butler, Mottville and several others. Fritz and Helen eventually moved to the cabin in Bitely where they lived together until Helen passed away quietly in her sleep with Fritz by her side on January 11, 2021. Fritz continued his residency at the home in Bitely until his passing. Through the years, Fritz and Helen built a home in Florida where they would spend every winter. They also enjoyed spending time in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for several weeks throughout the year. They would walk through shops and tour different historical sights. Fritz loved to look through different buildings and homes to see how they were built and compare them to how things are done now. Fritz was a NASCAR fan and traveled to different tracks with family and friends throughout the years. He was very proud of the Woody he built from the ground up and would take it to car shows where he won several trophies. Fritz was very passionate about his beliefs and will always be remembered for his way of expressing his opinion. Fritz was always there if you needed anything and always ready to give a helping hand. Fritz leaves behind his children, Christy (Rob) Wachowicz; Terry Vande Maele; Denny (Elisa) Vande Maele; Greg (Gayle) Vande Maele; Mark (Tracy) Vande Maele; 6 grandchildren, Andrew, Dylan, Sarah (Kelsey), Jason, Ashley, and Justin; his sisters, Mary Anne (Jay Smith and Sid Shane. Fritz was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; his parents, Joseph and Laura; his brother, Joseph. Following Fritz's wishes, cremation has taken place and private services will be held at the family home in Bitely. Friends may send a condolence or share a memory with the Vande Maele family online at www.crandellfh.com. Arrangements by Crandell Funeral Home – White Cloud Chapel 231-689-1492 To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Fritz Vande Maele, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. Private Services