van Zanten, MD, Niko A J July 26, 1945 - November 30, 2012

Dr. van Zanten was born on July 26, 1945 in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. He passed away at his home near Osceola, Missouri on November 30, 2012 after a three and a half year battle with cancer. Dr. van Zanten grew up in the Netherlands and graduated from medical school in Groningen. In 1969, he studied abroad in the United States where he met his wife Beverly. Soon thereafter, Beverly and her two sons, Kurt and Eric, moved to Holland, and Niko and Beverly were united in marriage on August 15, 1970 in Wassenaar. Niko and Beverly had two children, Lisa and Hans. After practicing medicine for approximately ten years in Holland, the van Zanten family moved to Kansas City to begin a life in the U.S. In 1985, upon completion of a family practice residency, Niko and Beverly moved their family to Osceola, Missouri where Niko joined Dr. Wayne Morton and formed Morton-van Zanten Clinic. Niko loved practicing with his colleagues in Osceola and surrounding communities, and cared deeply for his patients. His passions included traveling, skiing, tinkering with his cars, collecting model trains, and most of all, spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife, Beverly of Osceola; younger sister, Johanna van Zanten, of Voorburg, the Netherlands; daughter Lisa Zschintzsch and her husband Art, of Olathe, Kansas; son Hans van Zanten and his wife Kym, of Overland Park, Kansas; step-son Eric Warnstaff, of Overland Park, Kansas and eight grandchildren: Markus, Heidi, and Michael Zschintzsch, Mya, Sophie and Niko van Zanten; and Blaine and Jessica Warnstaff. Also surviving are four nieces and nephews, Pam, Scott, David, and Kelly; sister in-law, Valerie (Dick) Lanning, and brother in-law, Terry (Jean) Grapentine.