Joseph Sanders "Papa Crackers" vanLeeuwen was reunited with his Savior on Sunday, 21 February 2016 as a young man of 60. He is survived by his mother, Norma (Sanders) of Twin Falls; wife, Lori (Brownfield) (and dog, a pug named Otis) of Boise; son, Joseph and Michelle (Peterson) and grandchildren, JJ and Sara of Virginia Beach, VA; daughter, Kandi and grandsons, Codey and Zak of Boise; daughter, Anna and Dalton Elsen and grandson, Brandon of Chesapeake, VA; son, Jacob of Eagle; daughter, Katrina and Taylor White of Pocatello; son, Lorenzo of Boise; sisters, Vicky Meyers of Boise, Valerie of Twin Falls, and Leesa and Rick Mueller of Twin Falls; brother "Spare Parts Warehouse," Travis and Tiffany (Miller) Tanner of Boise; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph Lorenzo vanleeuwen Jr. and cousin, Kyle George Lewis. Papa Crackers was born 26 October 1955 at St. Luke's downtown. He was adopted by Norma and Joseph on 15 January 1956 and sealed to them on 27 November 1957 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. They raised him and his sisters in Twin Falls, ID. He received his Eagle Scout and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1974. He married Nancy Vasquez on 23 December 1974 and they had two chidren. On 18 March 1983, he married Lori Brownfield and they had four children over the next 14 years. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple on 16 May 1997. Papa Crackers loved working with his hands and could always be found tinkering with guns, models, cars, computers, and anything to do with building things while listening to loud music. His various jobs as a construction worker, truck driver, certified GM mechanic, and private security guard covered his many interests very well. He loved to tweak muscle cars to make them go faster and turn tighter. His favorite sport was Formula One Racing and any other road racing circuit. He was always willing to help friends and family fix their vehicles. He wanted to be an Airborn Ranger, but was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 19 and was unable to join the US Army. Instead, he proudly watched two of his children serve in the US Navy. At Church, Papa Crackers was a Cub Scout Master and Elders Quorum teacher. He enjoyed making the holidays brighter for families in the ward by getting a basket of dinner items together, leaving it on their front step and doorbell ditching. At the end of Summer 1997, we found out Papa Crackers' kidneys were failing and he started dialysis in March 1998. Multiple family members were willing to donate a kidney and were tested for a match. It came down to two cousins and Travis Tanner won out with a larger than normal kidney. In October 1998, his best friend and cousin, Kyle Lewis, gave him a blessing that told him he would live long enough to see all of his children finish school. On 21 October 1998, Travis and Papa Crackers went into surgery and came out changed men. His youngest child graduated in May of 2015, fulfilling the blessing that Kyle gave him 17 years ago. Service: Saturday, February 27, 2016 11:00 a.m. Boise North LDS Stake Center 8620 Goddard Road Boise, Idaho Visitation: Friday, February 26, 2016 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. And Saturday 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. Prior to the Services Boise North LDS Stake Center 8620 Goddard Road Boise, Idaho
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