Zeeland mayor on losing a legend: ‘They don’t get much better than Tim Klunder’

ZEELAND — When officials in Zeeland organized a public gathering on July 8 to mark Tim Klunder’s 25 years of municipal service, they had to twist his arm to show up.

Klunder, who spent nearly a quarter-century running Zeeland’s day-to-day operations and led as city manager, didn’t love the spotlight. 

In fact, he loathed it, said Zeeland Mayor Richard Van Dorp III.

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t think Tim Klunder is going to want to have an event where people can come up and say such nice things about him,’” Van Dorp remembered thinking when staff pitched the idea. “That’s really not his style.”

Klunder reluctantly agreed to attend. Less than three weeks later, on Monday, July 27, the longtime city manager died peacefully at his home after a battle with cancer. He was 57.

His death marks the end of an era for this Ottawa County community. 

While Zeeland claims a residential population of roughly 5,700 people, its heavy industrial base and corporate headquarters draw more than 50,000 workers into the city every weekday. 

Managing that scale required a delicate balance of infrastructure planning, budget discipline, and public diplomacy.

Van Dorp, who served 21 years on the city council before taking office as mayor eight months ago, said Klunder’s effectiveness came from an unusual management style: deflect every compliment, but absorb every piece of fallout.

“He was so selfless,” Van Dorp said. “He would never take the wins. He could have easily, and he always let everybody get their wins. But conversely, if things were not going as well, he was the first one to step in and kind of take the blame.”

Van Dorp noted that while the public saw the physical changes across Zeeland over the past two decades — a redesigned downtown core, steady private development, and the expansion of the city's municipal electric and water utilities — those inside city hall saw a humble leader, quietly making things happen.

The dynamic extended beyond formal city business. Van Dorp recalled spending Monday mornings during football season trading notes with Klunder in his office, either celebrating or commiserating over the Detroit Lions before diving into council agendas.

“They don’t get much better than Tim Klunder,” Van Dorp said. “He did seem to do everything right, for the most part. That’s easy for people to say after the fact, but it was true.”

Born Feb. 19, 1969, in Grand Rapids to William "Butch" and Sandy Klunder, Tim grew up in Byron Center. He earned degrees from Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Grand Valley State University before completing a master’s degree in public administration at Western Michigan University.

His public career began in Huber Heights, Ohio, as an assistant in the city manager's office. He went on to serve as city manager in Scottville and Algonac before taking the post in Zeeland in 2002.

Outside municipal government, Klunder was a competitive golfer. A member at Macatawa Legends and a past club champion, he won the Grand Valley Amateur Championship in 2008 with his son serving as his caddie.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Kim; four children, Scott, Tyler, Jordan, and Elizabeth; five grandchildren; his parents; and four brothers.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, July 31, at Faith Church, 220 W. Central Ave., in Zeeland. Visitation will take place 5-8 p.m. Thursday in the Hoogland Room at the Howard Miller Community Center, 14 S. Church St.

Burial will be in Zeeland Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by Yntema Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Melanoma Research Foundation or Faith Hospice.

— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Mallory Burt is a reporter for Ottawa News Network. Contact her at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.