Van Kempen, Gary J. age 77 of Isanti/East Bethel  passed away January 28, 2025 after a long battle with dementia. He was born February 11, 1947 in Morris, Minnesota to Ervin & Ruby (Aaberg) Van Kempen. He was one of 5 sons. Gary worked for Mate Precision Tooling for 47 years and served as a lifelong member of the Minnesota Street Rod Association. His greatest passion was building custom hot rods and traveling to shows where he won many awards. He was preceded in death by his parents Ervin & Ruby and brothers Michael & Steven Van Kempen. Surviving family members include brothers Ron (Joyce) and Jim (Mary Kay), sons Thomas (Sarah), Tim (Svetlana) and Terry (Katrina), granddaughters Samantha & Shelby and Violet & Isabella, grandsons Andrei & Erik and many friends and family. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 11 am until 3 pm at Thurston-DeShaw Funeral Home, 13817 Jay Street, NW, Andover.