Our Dear Friend Lonnie

Lonnie past away after a strong fight with ALS. Bob has been best friends with Lonnie since high school (they were both also in the 19th Special Forces Green Baret together), and I have considered Lonnie and his wife Cari to be some of my best friends for over 16 years now. One of our favorite things to do was to jump on our Harleys and go for a ride; the destination always seemed to land us at the Cotton Bottom for one of their famous garlic burgers or some where for a yummy slice of pie.

Lonnie and Cari in front of our house before one of our rides

Bob and Lonnie getting ready for a ride

I loved looking at the world through Lonnie's eyes sometimes. When he and Cari came to visit us in London, it was so fun to see how excited he was to be there, it helped me to see London in a whole new way (I had been there enough that it was a little old hat to me). I believe Cari and I made jokes about needing to keep him on one of those child leashes because he would stray away from the group to look at stuff and we would have to re-direct him. I loved that!

Case and point: Here we are in London and everyone else is looking at the camera and Lonnie is looking at "stuff"

Here is Lonnie way excited to be in our car in the train going through the chunnel to get to France. If I remember correctly, the words "this is so cool" came out of his mouth a lot on that chunnel ride. I loved it!

This is one of my all time favorite photos of Bob and Lonnie. They are looking up at the Eiffel Tower

Bob and I & Lonnie and Cari in front of the Eiffel Tower

Lonnie and Cari in London

I don't remember which one of us took this picture, but I still think it is magnificent and we were so lucky to experience this Lonnie and Cari

Bob and Lonnie's brother Wyatt (along with some other good friends)took Lonnie on one last long Harley road trip to Vegas. I don't know the details of that trip, but you know...boys will be boys I am sure. Here are some of the photos from that trip, they had a blast!






Last year in 2009 we helped Lonnie do some of the things on his bucket list which was really fun for us. Our adventure started in early spring when he wanted to go to Zion's National Park. So, we packed up and off we went and had a lot of fun getting out in the fresh air. In May when we took a cruise to Alaska. What an amazing place Alaska is. We had fun exploring and of course had a ball on the ship. Lonnie and Bob both had their GPS systems and it was a hoot to watch those two coordinate them to where we were at a particular moment. Lonnie and Cari's children were able to come with us and we met a lot of really neat people on that cruise trip.

Zion's


This is my favorite picture of Bob and Lonnie with their GPS systems

In Juno, Alaska

Dinner on the cruise with everyone together

In Sept of 2009 Lonnie wanted to see blue ocean water and he picked to visit Cozumel Mexico. We spent a week at a wonderful resort there. We were able to get him out on a jeep tour of the island and had the best real Mexican food ever! Cari and I learned how to dive there and received our open water divers certificate while Bob and Lonnie checked out the babes at the pool. Lonnie and Cari's Son Erik along with his wife Katherine and their cute daughter Bailey were also able to come with us. Bailey liked to call the flamingos "pink ducks". Way to cute! Katherine and Erik got the best souvenir out of all of us...their son Carter was born nine months later (sorry guys, I had to add that!). It was a truly magical place and vacation that none of us will ever forget.

This was the beach at our resort in Cozumel. Plenty of blue ocean water there!

Lonnie and I while touring the Cozumel island

Eating at one of the yummy places on the resort

Eating at an authentic Mexican place on the island...yummy!


His funeral was as perfect as it could have been for such a man. The church service was beautiful! All the speakers did such a great job and I know Lonnie would have loved the song that was sung by his cute grand daughter Bailey with help from her mom.

Lonnie's ride to the cemetery was just as fitting. Lonnie had one last ride on a Harley which I know he was smiling up above about. There is a group called "The last Ride" which is a group of military veterans that own motorcycles who I believe call themselves The Patriot Guard. Lonnie's casket was pulled in a glass case behind a three wheel Harley. Cari was also able to take that last ride with Lonnie on the back of the Harley that was taking Lonnie to the graveside. Everyone who had a Harley or motorcycle rode it in the precession to the cemetery. There are no words to express how the ride to the graveyard felt. It was a mixture of complete happiness and total sadness. On the way to the cemetery, everyone stopped in front of Lonnie and Cari's house and revved their Harley engines for about a minute to remember him.








This photo was when all of us were stopped in front of Cari and Lonnie's house revving our engines in memory of Lonnie






At the graveside there was a soldier brigade and they presented Cari with the flag of the United States of America in honor of Lonnie's dedication to our wonderful nation.



Later that night Lonnie's close friends and family were invited over to Lonnie's brother's house to celebrate his life and share stories. I think Lonnie would really have been happy that we were able to get together and do this. Thank you so much Travis and Kellie for opening your home up to all of us that night, I really think it helped to heal our hearts a little.

There is so much history and fun stories that I left out, but I wanted to share just a few of the memories that I have had in the last few years.

Lonnie, we love you and you will never be forgotten!