Augustus "Jack" Gondring

Long time Lewisville resident, Augustus Gondring (Jack) passed away on September 19, 2015, six months after his 100th birthday. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 10, 1915 but the delight at his birth was overwhelmed by the sudden death of his father six weeks later. His widowed mother then moved with him and his older sister to Chesterton, Indiana where they lived with his maternal grandmother in the old family home. Although the family had little money, they supported his education and violin lessons in Chicago. He became an accomplished violinist, a pastime he enjoyed to the end of his life.

After high school in Chesterton, Jack went to Indiana University, and completed a degree in History and Art, developing his significant talent as a painter. It was there that he met his future wife, Jo (Majora) Kunz. They married in 1938, and could not have imagined in those uncertain times before the outbreak of WWII that they would be married for nearly 77 years. The couple established careers in education, Jo as a primary and secondary teacher, Jack as a teacher and school principal. They worked in various schools in Indiana, Colorado, and Tennessee.

When the United States joined World War II Jack enlisted and was sent to Australia, spending three years in Brisbane at Headquarter Squadron in the 5th Air Force Intelligence. In his free time, he produced a number of stunning watercolor paintings of the tropics and Brisbane street scenes, paintings that won awards.

Returning home after World War II he again attended Indiana University and completed a Master’s Degree in Education, utilizing the newly created G.I. Bill. Searching for the ideal place to live, raise a family, and develop his artistry, the family moved numerous times to locations in Indiana, Colorado, and Tennessee. He was most successful as an artist in the Brown County, Indiana artist colony. He focused on landscapes and produced many wonderful paintings, including one that took a state-wide first prize at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis.

Jack is survived by his wife, Jo and their children, Tanya Castleman of Melbourne, Australia, and Kim Gondring who lives in Winston-Salem with his wife Kathy, He has five grandchildren: Lina, Nicola, Kelley, Stephen, and Philippa and six great grandchildren: Niamh, Sam, Rose, Jemima, Audrey, and Alice.

Jack was a man of many talents, artistic, musical and practical. He had wide knowledge of the world from his extensive reading. He was known as a person of principle and integrity, but he also had a whimsical and roguish sense of humor. He was an ardent nature lover who reveled in the woods of Indiana and North Carolina.

The family will have a private celebration of life service. He will be buried in the Gondring family plot in Chesterton, Indiana.

Online condolences may be made at www.frankvoglerandsons.com. Arrangements made by Frank Vogler and Sons Funeral Home, Clemmons Chapel.