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Soldier dies in motorcycle crash after attending fundraiser for disabled veterans

Posted at 9:36 PM, Aug 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-01 18:53:35-04

Joshua VanBelzen, courtesy photo.

SPARTA, Mich. — A soldier from West Michigan attending a fundraiser for disabled veterans died in a motorcycle crash this weekend.

Joshua VanBelzen, 26, died in a crash following a fundraiser by Foundation 14 in Lenawaee County.

VanBelzen’s family posted an obituary from the VanBelzen auction house Facebook page. They say he did a tour in Afghanistan with the Army, and afterwards became a drill sergeant with the Army Reserve.

His body returned to Sparta late Monday night. Funeral services for VanBelzen will be held Friday at Sparta Baptist Church at 11 a.m. His family asks that donations go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

**A previous version of this story reported that VanBelzen attended a funeral for a bomb-sniffing dog in South Lyon prior to attending the fundraiser. His family says he did not attend the funeral services.***