Although Dad died in April, I've missed him more this summer since I've had downtime, off from working for the summer. Mom asked me a while back to send a copy of the remarks I made at his memorial service in Pennsylvania to my aunt who came to the funeral but wasn't able to come to the memorial a month later in May.
While typing those out for her, I decided I'd share them with you, whoever might still check my blog from time to time. Mostly it's for me, to have this "public" record of my love and admiration for him.
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I’m very proud and grateful to be the daughter of Lon Mohundro. He was a wonderful father, as you can imagine. When he planted a rose garden, he allowed me to “help” and I always considered it “our” rose garden. When we were small, Dad built us a play house. When we moved to the other side of Dallas, he loaded up that playhouse and moved it to our new house. He later built a tree house platform above it and we enjoyed many, many hours of pretend play in those houses. When a transgression of mine was great enough that Mom thought Dad needed to handle it, he only had to tell me how disappointed he was . . . and soon we both be in tears, mine of repentance and sorrow that I had disappointed him, his of sympathy and love. On the few occasions that I, as a teen, needed to “pay a price,” the consequence fit the crime. (Jim loves the story about the time I damaged the oil pan by driving over a rock, and Dad had me get under the car to measure all the lowest points.)Dad made me feel treasured. When I was a senior in high school and old enough to drive, he invited me to drive Cambridge for lunch. After lunch at a nice restaurant, as he walked me to my car, I noticed he made sure to walk on the curb side of the sidewalk, and when I asked about it, he told me that a gentleman always walks on the street side to protect the lady. He took me to a father-daughter event at the Civitan Club. He gave me gifts of jewelry. When I got my ears pierced, he gave me earrings. When he bought my mother an enameled Christmas wreath pin, he bought me one, too. I still have it and treasure it.
Dad always wanted me to be the best I could be, a child of God who glorified God in all I did. That’s what he strove for in himself, and that’s what he wanted for each of you.
The greatest gift Dad gave me was as an example of a Godly, dedicated life. He was a loving husband, father, son (he called and wrote his parents often). The most valuable lessons I learned from Dad are spiritual. Dad’s life was marked by increasing levels of personal commitment.
After “falling away” as a young adult (and young Christian), he and Mom were restored to the church when I was still small. During my childhood, he was a successful businessman and a deacon in a congregation in Dallas.
In 1967, he and Mom stepped up that spiritual commitment again when they left home and family, job and community to move with an Exodus church planting to Massachusetts. He became an elder of the church and traveled throughout New England as he taught other struggling churches about elderships.
He increased his spiritual commitment again in 1974 when he, Mom, and Jim followed me to Lubbock, TX, so that he could study to serve the Lord and Christ’s body full-time as a minister.
Dad has been well-known and loved everywhere they lived. Not only was he tall and handsome, but he was thoughtful and kind, serving others and seeking their best good, especially their spiritual best.
Dad never met a stranger. He’d talk to anyone, and somehow he’d usually quickly bring the conversation to spiritual matters.
There was a lot to admire about him and many attributes I wanted and tried to imitate. (When I went far from home to college at Lubbock Christian, I determined to overcome my shy nature and become outgoing like he was. )I am supremely grateful that I was blessed to be his daughter. Thanks, Mom, for having such great taste in men and for you part in demonstrating a wonderful marriage centered on God.
My brother, Jim, found it comforting immediately following Dad’s death to remind everyone that if anyone is in heaven, certainly Dad is. I agree with that – but Dad would want us to remember that his certain salvation is not because he was such a good man. Dad is a wonderful man because of Christ’s saving grace. He put his faith entirely in that salvation promise, and we all saw that in Him. I look forward to being with Dad again in our heavenly home.
