Obituary of Lonnie Dean Greenawalt

Lonnie Dean Greenawalt passed away on May 3, 2022 at HCA Southeast Hospital in Pasadena, TX at the age of 73. Lonnie is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Ray and Marjorie C. (Wendt) Greenawalt; and his sister, Sherri E. Wingard and brother, Charles Jeffery Greenawalt. He is survived by his wife of 49+ years, Judy along with his son, Charles and his wife, Kelly, and their children, Clay, Travis, Callista, Kaia, Ryder, Ansley and Cameron; his brothers, John (wife, Linda) Greenawalt and Kevin Greenawalt and sister, Carol (husband, Jason) Beal; nephews, Justin Greenawalt and Andrew (wife, Tina) Greenawalt; niece, Sarah Wingard, along with a host of friends. Lonnie was born on March 9, 1949 to Charles Ray and Marjorie Corinne (née Wendt) Greenawalt in Pecos, TX. Lonnie was the first of six children and spent his early years in Pecos before the family moved to Port Lavaca followed by Houston and then Palacios where he graduated from Palacios High School in 1968. Lonnie joined the United States Army on May 13, 1968. After basic training, he served one year in Germany then he spent his second year in Vietnam. Lonnie was honorably discharged on May 4, 1971 and happily joined the family in Waco, TX for a short time before joining his father in Alvin, TX as a painter for a couple of years. Then Lonnie went to Florida and utilized the GI Bill to obtain training and certification to became a Heavy Equipment Operator. When his son began working in a tower crane for higher wages, Lonnie quickly transitioned as well and did that until his retirement in 2013. On his 24th birthday (March 9, 1973), Lonnie married the love of his life, Judith Ann Korando. Judy had relocated from her family home in Chester, Illinois and was visiting with a friend when she met Lonnie and there was an immediate attraction and they began dating. Judy says Lonnie never really proposed but instead said “Well, are we getting married on your birthday or mine and I’d prefer mine”! On December 9, 1975, Lonnie and Judy welcomed their son, Charles Eugene Greenawalt and their family was complete. Lonnie’s unfailing work ethic served him well, but nothing kept him from being a Scout Master for Charles’ Boy Scout Troup #840 and making every meeting and event. Lonnie and Charles enjoyed many shared adventures while camping, hiking, and canoeing, and doing whatever was required to earn the next badge. Under his leadership, Charles attained the rank of Eagle Scout and Lonnie could not have been prouder of him. Lonnie was an avid reader but also loved fishing from an early age. His nightstand by the bed never lacked a stack of books. He amazed people by telling them he was simultaneously reading 4-5 books at the same time. He also loved to fish and was super excited when he purchased his boat. He and Judy, along with his brother, John, would frequently be up before dawn to make it to a favored fishing spot. They were not always successful in their fishing endeavors, but they always enjoyed being together and making special memories sharing jokes and stories about the ones that got away. Lonnie’s mind was forever seeking new knowledge and opportunities. When he worried about the declining construction industry, he enrolled in night school with the goal of getting his heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning certification. Before he could complete his training, the feared downturn happened, and he was unemployed. The only employment Lonnie could find was in New Jersey, so he bought a Merry Miler van and left his family in Houston and moved to the job site. He was allowed to use the electricity and water from the site in exchange for being the night security. He returned to Houston but in later years spent time working in Florida and Arizona when jobs in Houston were scarce. Lonnie was always looking for things to do after work and on weekends. When his son, Charles, brought home a wood Texas-shaped clock that he made in a wood shop class, Lonnie decided to start a side business and set up the garage to do woodwork. He and Judy produced Texas clocks, wall shelves, bookcases, and a variety of other products that they sold at Fairs and other events on weekends. Lonnie’s retirement project came about when Charles gave Judy a hibiscus for a special occasion. Lonnie started researching and planning and was soon in business growing hibiscus. Over a number of years and much frustration, Lonnie and Judy worked out all the myriad of details required to formulate the process of obtaining the rooted hibiscus in January, transplanting them to larger pots, watering and fertilizing them in February and finally selling them in March in “flash” sales on their driveway. Lonnie was a loving and devoted grandfather, although he was frequently given a warning look from Judy when he got the grandkids stirred up and hollering with his practical jokes. They called him PawPaw and he had a special relationship with each one of them. Lonnie and Judy attended almost all the various school events and activities, from choir concerts to football and basketball games. Having been on the high school football team himself, he especially enjoyed watching his grandsons playing football. When his grandson Travis earned a D1 athletic scholarship to play football for the HBU Huskies, PawPaw decided he would go to every game, and he did just that, driving from Houston New Mexico and then to Louisiana to attend games. And Travis always knew he was there when he heard Lonnie’s distinctive yell of “TRAAAVVVIS”. His grandson Ryder especially enjoyed spending time with him and begged to go to his house every day after school. Lonnie’s “little buddy” was allowed to negotiate time playing on Lonnie’s cell phone even after Lonnie found out Ryder ordered a helmet and several sets of gloves from Amazon without asking…and without Lonnie even realizing he knew how to do that! Lonnie impacted so many people throughout his life. It started when he was Scout Master and helped his son and other young men work through the ranks to achieve Eagle Scout. That progressed over the years to helping other young men get their first jobs. His tutelage and belief in them changed the rest of their lives. He was always patient with young people and helped them understand what they needed to do to succeed. Lonnie has left a legacy of love and he will be missed by so many.