Six months after James Van Der Beek died following a battle with cancer, his widow, Kimberly, is honoring what would have been their 16th wedding anniversary.
Kimberly married the Dawson’s Creek actor on August 2, 2010, in a “small spiritual ceremony” in Tel Aviv, Israel. At the time, she was pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Their family continued to grow in the years that followed, with the pair welcoming five more children together before James’ heartbreaking death in February at age 48.
Now, on their anniversary, Kimberly is reflecting on the marriage, the memories and the enduring love they built together.
“16 years ago I was the luckiest woman in the world to marry @vanderjames,” Kimberly wrote in an Instagram post shared Sunday. “The beauty of this marriage continues to unfold everyday with all these incredible children we have. He continues to be present and guide us. I’m eternally grateful.”
Alongside the emotional tribute, Kimberly shared intimate selfies of the couple together, as well as a tender photo showing James embracing their children.
Six months after James Van Der Beek died following a battle with cancer, his widow Kimberly is honoring their 16th wedding anniversary
James and Kimberly exchanged vows in “a small spiritual ceremony surrounded by a few close friends and teachers,” according to a statement from the couple reported by The Jewish Chronicle at the time.
‘The woman I love did me the honour of becoming my wife today,’ James posted to Twitter after their wedding.
‘I look forward to earning her for the rest of my life.’
Yet tragedy struck the family in recent years.
James died in February this year following a battle with stage three colorectal cancer, leaving behind his wife Kimberley, and their six children, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 14, Annabel Leah, 12, Emilia, 10, Gwendolyn, eight, and Jeremiah, four.
His family announced his death in an emotional Instagram post in which they revealed his final days were met with ‘courage, faith, and grace.’
‘There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time,’ they wrote.
‘Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.’
Van Der Beek posted photos of her with her husband as she marked the bittersweet milestone
James died in February this year following a battle with stage three colorectal cancer, leaving behind his wife Kimberley, and their six children, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 14, Annabel Leah, 12, Emilia, 10, Gwendolyn, eight, and Jeremiah, four
His diagnosis was announced in November 2024.
‘There’s no playbook for how announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,’ he wrote on social media.
‘But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.
‘I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before. I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.
‘Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself. Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention. Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.’
The couple wed in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kimberly was pregnant with their first child at the time of the nuptials
Van Der Beek rose to fame in the hit teen drama series, Dawson’s Creek
Later Van Der Beek told People he was getting through the health ordeal with the ‘support of my incredible family.’
The star often updated fans on social media about his cancer journey.
‘I feel a little bit better every month. It’s required more of me — more patience, more discipline,’ he said late last year when addressing his weight loss during an interview on Today.
‘More strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong, I didn’t know I was this strong,’ the star said in the emotional conversation.
His last Instagram post was on January 25 where he looked slender but healthy. He was wishing his daughter and father a happy birthday.
