Truly home

"A traveler ventured forth one day
Upon a long and winding road
With faith and trust to lead the way,
With strength and will to bear his load.

And at a slow but steady pace,
In cold of storm, in warmth of sun,
He journeyed on from place to place
And gained some value from each one.

Until at last one quiet night,
He climbed a hill's soft-rounding crest
And saw afar a single light
That seemed to promise peace and rest.

And following its glow, he came
Upon the House in which it shone.
A Voice inside called out his name
And told him he was truly home."

HAROLD E. DELONGE, 89, passed away on September 30, 2007, in Houston.

A devoted husband and father, he is survived by his wife, Margaret; his daughter,
Peggy Mendonca and family; and his sons, Lawrence and Bruce and their families.
Also mourning his loss are his sisters, Caroline and Ruth and their families; his brother, Kenneth and family; and numerous extended family members in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.



The family will receive friends and well-wishers on Tuesday, October 2, beginning at
1:00 p.m. at Klein Funeral Home, Champion Forest, where a funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Mark Sostarich officiating.


In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Lighthouse Hospice or Habitat for Humanity.

Notes from Family and Friends

Dear Peggy and Steve,



Thank you for sending us the obituary. Our thoughts and prayers are with you this afternoon and in the upcoming days with Aunt Marge. I am heading out to my parent's shortly and will open their computer and share this with them. I know my parents will enjoy the pictures from Aunt Caroline also. I think my dad will have an addition to the wonderful website prepared by your children.



Again, our sympathy to you and all your family. It sounds like your children were very close to Uncle Harold. We will make a contribution to Habitat for Humanity. One spring break Sara worked on a project for them in No. Carolina. I would be interested in hearing sometime why this is a named donation.



Take care. Kathy Marks and family


Dearest Stephen and Peggy



Please accept our heartfelt sympathies towards the loss of Peggy's dad. Even though this was expected sooner or later, it is hard when it actually happens - we know. Do also convey our sentiments to Margaret, Peggy's mum who we hope will eventually learn to live without him. He was a great guy to have around and we liked him.



Dennis and Judy


Dear Julie and all your family members: We all grieve the loss of your dear grandfather, who was so loved by us all for his humor and good nature. I'm glad he didn't suffer long. Please know that our love and support are with you all at this time of grief.




To my dear Uncle, Aunt and cousins,
On behalf of Allison and myself, I would like to pass along our deepest regrets and say how very sorry we are to hear about the loss of Grandpa Harold. I have extremely fond memories of him from my younger years and have to say that I felt like he was my grandfather too as I was unfornately never too close to either of my grandfathers. He always had a smile and was always willing to play with us or listen to us ramble on. He was so laid back and easy going. I feel fortunate to have spent time with him and will always hold a special place for him as I do for Grandma Marge. I remember spending a weekend at their home in Edgewater (I believe that's where it was).

I hope you are all coping well with the loss. Please give Aunty Peggy an especially big hug for us.

Love and God bless to you all,
Jeremy and Allison

Family slide show

A tribute from Harold's sisters

To all friends and family. I am Harold's sister, Caroline, and although I'm feeling very sad at my brother's death, I must thank our Lord for ending Harold's suffering and taking him home where he can rejoice with his savior Jesus and meet our parents and my husband Greg who went to heaven. The Lord has given our family abundant blessings. My younger brother, Kenneth, and my sister Ruth, and Harold and I all shared our lives together into 80's. Praise the Lord! Here are a few of the photos that I had of my brother that I wanted to share with everyone.

Love to all,
Caroline

Hi all, this is Ruth. Many thanks for the info on your grandpa. He was one very special person. Growing up, he and I were always paired together when we were taken out, as were Caroline and Kenneth, a good way to keep the four of us in line. All my life, he ways always there for me, encouraging and sticking up for me when I made bad decisions. The Harold DeLonges and Ed Sea and family took many fishing vacations together; certainly the fishing part not my choice but I was the chauffeur, and of course when Ed could no longer make the trips, I who didn't enjoy fishing missed them. I am ever so happy I was in Houston the first weekend in May for such a wonderful visit, where I went in May for a early birthday celebration of my brother. In lieu of flowers I am sending a generous check to the Gideons, which my brother was very active in for many years. They place Bibles and New Testaments in hospitals and hotels all over the world. Your grandpa was such a believer in Gideons; he sold me on the idea of sending Gideons a check in memory of many who entered their eternal home. I know I cannot be with all of you for the funeral but know all of you are in my prayers, keep in touch. Love, Aunt Ruth

A young Harold wearing his Army uniform.














The four DeLonge siblings in their school clothes, with the girls smiling and the boys sticking their tongues out. You can tell these four had a lot of fun together!















Grandpa Harold with Aunt Caroline as young adults.



















Here's a very young Harold dressed up in a shirt and tie.

Good times

Christmas in Florida with Grandpa and Grandma









Fourth of July Fun












Grandpa and Grandma outside of their Texas home










Grandpa decorates the Christmas tree



He ALWAYS had energy to play with the littlest ones!








Christmas family picture at the Mendonca's home









Waving goodbye on Labor Day weekend

What I remember about Grandpa Harold

(From Sarah Mendonca McCoy)

Today, as I think about all of my memories of Grandpa, I feel very lucky to have been his first grandchild, and to have lived relatively nearby him for most of my life. I can remember spending time at his house in Mequon as a very young child, while I was still living in Wisconsin. I can remember the excitement with which I anticipated his visits to us when we were living in Florida. I can remember our family road trips to visit his house in Daytona Beach. And I have many wonderful memories of visiting him in my adulthood, while he was still living in Florida.

When I think of Grandpa, I think of boundless energy and optimism. Even when he was days away from the end of his life, he was still attempting the impossible, pushing himself beyond anyone's expectations, and wanting to be fully engaged in life. I think of a man who believed he could do anything, who always welcomed a challenge, and who never tired of meeting new people. I think of his tremendous generosity of spirit, his wonderful sense of humor, and his personal warmth and affection.

Grandpa was a man of great faith and devotion. He gave so much of his time and energy to the church, whether he was distributing Bibles with the Gideons, or hosting missionaries for dinner, or participating in Bible study each week. While he was still living in Florida, he also used to play organ at a local nursing home each week, bringing music and joy to the residents there. He offered us a wonderful example of Christian love, service, and humility.

Grandpa also loved to laugh. I have vivid memories of him laughing heartily, his eyes sparkling with joy. He loved to have fun. When I visited him a few weeks ago, I asked him what he was thinking about, and he told me that he was remembering the good times, like playing with his grandchildren in the pool. That happens to be one of our favorite memories, too: Grandpa running and jumping into the pool, making a huge cannonball splash, and throwing us up into the air. It's hard to say which of us enjoyed those times more, the grandfather or the grandchildren.

One constant memory I have is that Grandpa always seemed to have a lot of friends. It seemed that wherever I went with him, people just adored him. Even a few weeks ago, when I was helping my parents with various arrangements for him, I was struck by how greatly he had touched everyone he met. The receptionist for his car insurance agent was very emotional when I told her that he was sick, and she said to me over the phone, "I just LOVE your grandfather! Can I call him?" When we stopped at the bank on our way to his feeding tube procedure at the hospital, I was supposed to wait in the car with him, but he kept asking so many questions that I knew he wanted to go inside, and so we did. I watched in amazement as my 89-year-old grandfather with a cancerous tumor, who hadn't eaten solid food in almost 3 weeks, walked himself into that bank and proceeded to have a pleasant conversation with the bank staff, as if they were old friends. And when I went to check the mail at his apartment office, they all asked about him, wondering why they hadn't seen him lately.

I will miss many things about Grandpa. His laugh. His sweet scent. The way he always fell asleep in his recliner while watching golf. But most of all, I will miss the sense of unconditional love that I always felt with him. He always made me feel so important, so special, so loved. He never laid a guilt trip, he never seemed disappointed, he never asked me for anything. And he always showed such genuine appreciation for even the smallest acts of kindness that I showed him. I feel very blessed to have been his granddaughter, and I hope that with each day, I can become a little more like him.

On his way home

After 4 weeks of struggling with aggressive esophagal cancer and further complications, Grandpa Harold DeLonge began his heavenward journey today on Sunday September 30th at 2:30 pm. He was surrounded by his loving family, and the prayers of all who loved him. Grandpa was, and always will be, that bright, joyful light in all of our lives. The pain of not having him here will not soon be forgotten. We take comfort in knowing that he is now free from pain and suffering, and that he is being held in the arms of the Lord as He welcomes Grandpa in to eternal life. We are so thankful to have celebrated Grandpa's 89th birthday with him one month ago, on the last normal day we can remember with him. It is a precious memory that we will always treasure. We love you, Grandpa. Bless your life and your soul, always.