Father’s Day is a day to celebrate fathers both living and departed, and Kimberly Van Der Beek is honoring late husband James Van Der Beek, who died this February.
“Missing you so much and thinking of how magnificent you were in every single way today,” Kimberly wrote on Instagram today, Sunday, June 21, as she captioned a slideshow of the Dawson’s Creek star and their kids. “And somehow, from the other side? You continue to parent. You’re a marvel.”
Kimberly’s post got thousands of likes and countless comments. “The best of the best forever,” said Twilight alum Nikki Reed. “We love you so much James. Wrapping all of your little people in the warmest hugs today, and always.”
“The best father there ever was,” commented Lioness actor Dave Annable.
“We miss him, and my heart is feeling you every day,” wrote Dawson’s Creek director Jason Moore.
Mary-Margaret Humes, who starred as Gail Leery, Dawson’s mother, on Dawson’s Creek, also gave James some Father’s Day love on Instagram.
“Wishing all of the amazing dads throughout this vast universe a Happy Father’s Day weekend,” Humes wrote on Saturday, captioning a shot of herself, James, and Dawson’s Creek costar John Wesley Shipp, who played dad Mitch Leery on the teen drama. “My advice? Give big meaningful hugs and tell them you love them while you still have the chance … a shout-out to simpler times with @vanderjames @johnwesleyshippjr #dawsonscreek #tvfamily #foreverfriends @vanderkimberly.”
James, who died at age 48 after a 2023 diagnosis of colorectal cancer, married Kimberly in 2010 and had six children with her. The couple welcomed Olivia in 2010, Joshua in 2012, Annabel in 2014, Emilia in 2016, Gwendolyn in 2018, and Jeremiah in 2021.
Parenthood “changes everything, really,” James said in a 2023 Good Morning America interview. “You just go for that shift from putting yourself first to other people — these little tiny humans that you love so much — being your first priority. And then, you know, what you genuinely want is to take care of [them], to make them feel safe, [and] keep them safe to connect with them and feel that joy.”