Kristian David Van Derzee, 56, a new member of the Granite Falls community, passed away suddenly at his home on the morning of Saturday, December 14, 2024. Kris was born January 17, 1968 in White Plains, NY to Richard H. and Carol W. Van Derzee. Predeceased by his parents and brother Robert Van Derzee. He is survived by his wife, Noreen Van Derzee, nee Buckley, and two children, Storm Michael Van Derzee, 19, and Ceili Aleksa Van Derzee, 18; and his siblings, Kimberly Voska, nee Van Derzee, and husband Edward Voska; Richard H. Van Derzee, Jr. and wife Wendy Van Derzee, nee Sears, and Jonathan Van Derzee and wife Amy Van Derzee, nee Harron. Kris was loved, respected and admired by his dozens of nieces and nephews; and his brother from another mother, Pete Struebel.

He spent his early years in Ogdensburg, NY. Later in his youth the family moved to Western NY, south of Buffalo. There he made lifelong friendships and graduated from Lake Shore HS. He began his college career at Texas A & I University, then transferred to SUNY Maritime where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering; he played hockey and participated in cross country track. Upon graduation he became an instructor and hockey coach at Maritime. At SUNY he was the author of a technical manual on electrical generation and distribution for the ship, Empire State VI, that was required reading for students for over 20 years. He later achieved his Professional Engineer License while working at Dome-Tech Engineering. He worked as a design and commissioning engineer prior to focusing on Solar Power Generation and Transmission. His first foray in solar power was designing the largest site east of the Mississippi at the time. Early in his career he designed seven of the ten largest solar installations in the U.S. As an experienced engineer with First Solar, Inc., and as head of DC Engineering, Kris was granted several patents in solar power design. He also joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA), attending conferences around the world and influencing the future of solar power on several continents. He then joined the newly formed DEPCOM Power, Inc., LLC. As the Director of Engineering he had been a vital member of a groundbreaking company in the execution of clean energy solutions.

He loved being with family and friends. Weddings, reunions and family parties were a highlight for him. Kris was an adventurous soul who loved life. He traveled around the world, visiting five of the seven continents. He explored many countries including Norway, England, Italy, Spain, South Korea, India, Ethiopia, Morocco, Australia, and more. He was devoted to his family. Whether it was simply to keep in touch, a request for help, or a dire situation, Kris would drop everything to be there. He was a trekkie, loved Sci-Fi shows and could obscurely quote from any movie you can imagine. His sense of humor was unsurpassed and he was always the life of the party! Ask anyone who has ever met Kris what he was like, and the answer would be, “He was the funniest guy!” He loved to play devil’s advocate, and may disagree with you, but no matter what he always had your back. Kris could be trusted in any situation. He brought joy and laughter to all. He was humble, modest, loving and supportive. He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, please donate to North Catawba Fire Department, 2064 Connelly Springs Road, Lenoir, NC 28645, who were instrumental in helping Noreen deal with this sudden tragedy.

A visitation will be held at Mackie Funeral Service, Granite Falls, NC on
Saturday, December 28, 2024, from 10:00am to 12:00 noon. The funeral service will follow at 12:00pm at Mackie Funeral Service and Cremations. The Pastor Jon DeBell will be officiating.
Mackie Funeral Service and Cremations is assisting the family.
An online guestbook and obituary are available at www.mackiefh.com.