James Van Der Beek’s widow, Kimberly, has honored her late husband on the first Father’s Day since his death.
The Dawson’s Creek star died in February at the age of 48, years after being diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer.
On Sunday, Kimberly, 44, shared a series of photos of James with their six children.
“Missing you so much and thinking of how magnificent you were in every single way today. And somehow, from the other side? You continue to parent. You’re a marvel,” she shared in the caption.
It comes weeks after Kimberly shared a poignant update on her well-being three months after James’s death.
“To say I’m heartbroken is a severe understatement. Words just don’t capture what grief is.
“The comforts of shock have worn off. The reality is settling in… and I miss him. We all miss him. Yet, there is a different kind of magic in the air. I feel him. I know him more deeply. My conscious connection to God has deepened. The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”
She added: “The outpouring of support has been tremendous. It’s held our family in the most beautiful of ways. You all went absolutely above and beyond anything I could have ever expected in supporting us and honoring James. I am deeply grateful. There is so much more to share here. And in time – I will.”
James and Kimberly married in 2010. They shared daughters Olivia (15), Annabel (12), Emilia (nine), and Gwendolyn (seven), and sons Joshua (13) and Jeremiah (four).
In November 2024, the actor revealed that he had privately been receiving treatment for stage 3 colorectal cancer. Initially brushing off symptoms including irregular bowel movements, James assumed the change was down to his caffeine intake before he was diagnosed in the summer of 2023.
James gained widespread recognition as Dawson Leery in the teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003. The show, which also featured Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams, followed four hyper-articulate teenagers embroiled in complex romantic entanglements.
He went on to have a successful career in television, including roles in the main cast of Mercy, Law & Order, CSI: Cyber, Friends with Better Lives, the British sitcom Carters Get Rich, and Vampirina.
