James Van Der Beek’s widow Kimberly Van Der Beek is continuing to remember her late husband as she celebrates family milestones.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, March, 26, Kimberly, 44, marked their daughter Emilia’s 10th birthday with a touching post.
The photo showed the Dawson’s Creek star cozying up to his daughter. (As well as Emilia, James and Kimberly also shared daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.)
“Just a few heavenly months ago. Missing you my love,” Kimberly wrote over the image.
The Varsity Blues star died on February 11 after battling stage III colorectal cancer. He was 48.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” said a statement posted via his Instagram account 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.”
The actor first publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024.
“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told People at the time. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
To mark what would have been James’ 49th birthday on March 8, Emilia appeared in a sweet video on Kimberly’s Instagram page.
In the clip, Emilia shared her tips for “getting through” the death of a loved one as she continues to grieve her father.
“The number one thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out,” Emilia said in the video. “If you miss them, you can cry, you can talk to them … I talk to my dad every day, and I start with a sentence and I say, ‘Hi Dad, I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you,’ and I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling, and I tell my family how I’m feeling.”
She continued, “I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him. … You just have to feel in your heart they’re watching over you; they are part of your body and in a good place. I know that my dad is in a good place. He’s not in pain anymore.”
