Luke Arthur Vandenberg
Luke passed away on September 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA. He was born in Garden Grove, CA and was adopted as an infant by his parents – Jody Stevens and Dave Vandenberg. His brother Nathan was also adopted that same year. Luke is survived by his parents and brother.
Luke was born with a sparkling personality, bright eyes, a quick wit, lots of creativity and an endless curiosity. He grew up in Goleta, attended Dos Pueblos High School and graduated from the SBCC Middle College Program. While in school he sang and danced in many campus musicals including leading roles in Guys and Dolls in junior high and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in high school. His love of performing and beautiful voice were also demonstrated by his three years in the highly-rated Dos Pueblos Jazz Choir. Before completing high school, Luke was taking college classes at Santa Barbara City College and eventually finished there with two Associate-level degrees.
Luke loved going on many camping and exploring trips with his family. His travels included trips to Alaska, Hawaii and Canada, as well as solo trips to friends/relatives in Switzerland and New York City. During his travels he was always intensely curious to understand what he was experiencing. Luke also loved to get in the kitchen and bake wonderful creations to share. His cupcakes and key lime pie were requested for many special occasions. In addition to singing, Luke played piano and took dance classes. He participated in the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker at the Arlington Theater. Luke’s creativity and curiosity extended to building projects. He found instructions on Youtube for building a hoverboard from a leaf blower and convinced his dad to help him build it. Neighborhood children lined up for a ride on Luke’s hoverboard. He also worked at Sprouts grocery store for three years in his first job while finishing high school and attending Santa Barbara City College.
In his last years Luke struggled greatly with mental health and addiction issues. He fought valiantly to overcome his problems by actively engaging in years of treatment with many wonderful therapists, counselors and peers to whom we owe our deep gratitude. Luke’s family and friends are deeply saddened by his passing at a young age, and we will keep him in our hearts forever.
A memorial service to celebrate Luke’s life will be held on October 14, 2023 at 2pm at the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 820 N. Fairview Ave in Goleta.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Association for Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/Donate-to-NAMI or the Dos Pueblos High School, Vocal Music Program: https://www.dpjazzchoir.com/