Sen. Bill Van Regenmorter remembered

JENISON, Mich. (WOOD) - For nearly 25 years, he was their voice, their conscience, their representative in Lansing. Friday, many of the same people he spoke for spoke fondly of former Sen. Bill Van Regenmorter, who died Monday after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 73.

Van Regenmorter leaves behind a legacy of a statesman, a gentleman and a lawmaker who made a difference in people's lives.

"He was thoughtful. He was deliberate. He was thorough," said U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga. "Not exactly three words that are always associated with politicians I might add."

Former colleague and longtime friend Congressman Bill Huizenga told the crowd about qualities of a man who insisted on being called just 'Bill', which are too rare in some politicians today. For example, his dedication to victim's rights led to a law that now bears his name and has helped millions of people.

"Since Bill passed The Crime Victims' Rights Act, over 13 million Michigan residents have been reported being a victim of a crime," said John Lazet, the former chief of staff for Van Regenmorter. "Every single one of those people today has rights because of what Bill did."

But perhaps what Van Regenmorter did best was use his experience, compassion and dedication, along with his ability to build bipartisan coalitions, to truly represent the people who sent him to Lansing.

"He had a lot of people in high places that respected him, but there's none more so than those people he represented because they felt he represented them," said Huizenga. "He represented their ideas, gave voice to them in an arena that's often times very cluttered."

His funeral was held at the Baldwin Street Christian Reformed Church, where he was a charter member. Memorial contributions may be made to the Crime Victim Foundation or the Parkinson's Association of West Michigan.