Kimberly Van Der Beek is paying tribute to her late husband, James Van Der Beek, on what would have been his 49th birthday.
“Would be your 49th birthday today. And I’m missing you tremendously,” Kimberly began via her Instagram Story on Sunday, March 8, alongside a photo of her and James.
Kimberly then shared a series of images and videos of James, including with their six children. In one clip, James smiled as he cleared brush.
“Just a year and a half ago. Doing what he loved. Working this land,” Kimberly wrote, before adding in text over another video, “And his other favorite thing — building things here.”
Kimberly shared a clip of James “always dancing with his kids,” before uploading an image of him carrying one of their children on his back and “taking them on adventures.”
“Adventures on the road,” Kimberly wrote over an image of James driving, before adding over another clip, “Dancing in whatever random place we landed.”
Kimberly shared several throwback images of the couple’s six children with James, including one pic of the Dawson’s Creek actor dressed up as he inspected a dog for ticks.
“You are the light of your lives. Your love. Beauty. Presence. Tenderness. Protection. Safety. Creativity. Singing,” Kimberly wrote, adding in separate Instagram Stories, “I’m so grateful for the time. … The way you were at births, held our newborns, revered me … I will cherish forever.”
Kimberly went on to honor people in James’ life, including Elle Lorraine, whom she said is the godmother to daughter Gwen. She also shared a photo of James performing on Dancing With the Stars season 28 with pro Emma Slater, whom Kimberly called “his forever dance partner.”
“Baby, you were the best humanity had to offer,” Kimberly concluded. “This is a loss I don’t know how to process. I will love you forever.”
News broke in February that James died at age 48 following a public battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” a statement shared via the actor’s Instagram read at the time. “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
In a separate post posted on Sunday, Kimberly uploaded a video of the couple’s daughter Emilia honoring James. In the clip, Emilia shared that she talks to James “every day” and gave advice to others who may be navigating a similar situation with the death of a loved one.
“Something my dad told me was, if this doesn’t work out the way he wanted it to, and the way we wanted it to for him living, I still have to believe in miracles,” Emilia said. “Miracles can still happen, just later on in life. And they’ll keep coming, but maybe when you want them to come, they might not.”
Emilia concluded her video by sharing that she “stole” James’ hat, noting that it “smells like him.”
“A lot of people loved him and people prayed for him. And he was loved by many, many hearts and many, many people,” she said. “Also, if you donated to the Kimberly Van Der Beek fundraiser, thank you so much. I checked it. Holy moly. Thank you so much. I am blown away.”
Kimberly wrote in the caption, “Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside and came back with this. In my stories are a whole lot of photos and some videos. All I want to do is watch videos of him right now with the kids. Thank you for the tremendous heart, love and support for the family. 🩷🥹. James … We will celebrate March 8th every day for the rest of our lives.”
James’ Dawson’s Creek costar Kerr Smith shared his support in the comments section, writing, “Beautiful Emilia. ❤️.”
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