Kimberly Van Der Beek will forever be reminded of her late husband James Van Der Beek every time their daughter Olivia smiles.
“My first born baby has her Daddy’s gorgeous smile,” Kimberly, 44, captioned a selfie of her and Olivia, 15, shared via her Instagram Story on Monday, April 6.
The mother-daughter duo were seen posing side-by-side as they smiled for the camera. Kimberly donned a brown tweed jacket while Olivia opted for a pink button up.
Kimberly and James tied the knot in 2010 and welcomed Olivia that same year. The couple also shared daughters Annabel, 12, Emilia, 10, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.
The Dawson’s Creek alum died in February following his battle with stage III colorectal cancer. He was 48. (James was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 and publicly revealed his illness in November 2024.)
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” read 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.”
Days before James’ death, he and Kimberly renewed their vows.
“We decided two days beforehand and our friends got us new rings, filled our bedroom with flowers and candles and we renewed our vows from bed,” Kimberly said in a February interview with People.
As Kimberly and her children have grieved the loss of James, the family has been keeping the actor’s memory alive. Last month, Kimberly shared a video of Emilia talking about how she copes with missing her dad.
“The number one thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out,” Emilia said in the social media clip. “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.”
Emilia 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.”
