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Friends,
family and people whose lives were touched by Jon Lundin packed
Bethesda Evangelical Covenant Church on Tuesday to honor his memory. |
ROCKFORD — Jon Wallace Lundin was remembered Tuesday as a towering figure in the city’s landscape, yet also a kind, generous man “who walked humbly.”
At least 500 people, and possibly many more, attended the morning memorial service at Bethesda Evangelical Covenant Church, packing the nave and balcony to capacity. Before the service, a line of mourners stretched one-half block from the church’s main entrance to East State Street.
Attendees included family members, friends, business leaders and politicians.
Lundin, a local author, historian and entrepreneur, died at 7:08 p.m. Thursday at the age of 64. A funeral official said his body will be cremated today.
Several friends and loved ones stepped forward during the service to remember a man whose quiet benevolence and vision made him a beloved figure in Rockford circles.
Loren Burns, who met Lundin in 1949, spoke emotionally about his lifelong friendship.
“The Spanish call it simpatico. We were always on the same wavelength. Our mothers said to us, ‘Go out and play.’ And Jon and I played,” Burns said. “We spent those proverbial many happy hours bonding and forming what was going to be our relationship for what turned out to be something past a lifetime.”
Tom Johnson recounted how Lundin met his wife, Gloria, at a college party in the 1960s.
“The poor guy never had a chance,” Johnson said, eliciting laughter. “They were soul mates in every way. Their strengths complemented each other. In a very real way, they added value to each other’s work and life.”
Lundin’s daughter, Claire Lundin, also spoke briefly, saying she was “blown away” by the support from Rockford’s residents. Her brother, Thomas Lundin, was also in attendance.
Larry Morrissey, speaking as both mayor of the city and Lundin’s friend, called him “truly great” and a “Renaissance man.”
“I knew Jon in a lot of different settings, both personal and professional, but my favorite time to hang out with Jon was over coffee or cappuccino,” Morrissey said. “It was there that Jon would educate me on Rockford’s past and help inspire me and so many others about our future.”
Doug Mark, a downtown alderman, sang several songs, including a spirited rendition of “Downtown.”
Lundin was a Rockford native who studied at Yale and Cambridge universities before returning to his hometown in 1972. For nearly 24 years, Lundin ran the Abilities Center, an education, job-training and employment provider.
He also authored several books including “Master Inventor: How Howard Colman Created a Multi-National Corporation.”
Staff writer Bob Schaper can be reached at 815-987-1410 or bschaper@rrstar.com.