Jon Anton Sonnen

Father Sonnen was born November 19, 1936 in Houston, Texas, and was married to Marilyn Braly for over 65 years. He earned a B.A. in psychology and a Masters in philosophy from Southern Methodist University. In 1971 he entered the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest and was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1974. He served at various missions and parishes throughout the Diocese of Texas until his retirement in 2000. At the time of his retirement, he was the rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Pasadena, Texas, and he continued to help with their weekly services for a number of years.

Although Jon had a desire to become a priest since high school, before entering seminary he had some unusual jobs. Upon graduation from SMU, he went to work for his dad running a ranch in the Texas hill country. He later worked for Mobil Pipeline and then worked with his father in various business ventures. He and his wife Marilyn raised four children, Elizabeth, Janet, Stephen and Eric. Over the years, they had many family get togethers for birthdays and holidays. He had a passion for classical music, books and movies and was an intellectual. With his wife Marilyn who is outgoing, they made quite a couple.

Jon is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marilyn; three children: Elizabeth, Stephen and Janet; five grandchildren: Jason, Marilyn, Christopher, Kollin and Londyn; and his great grandson Thomas. Jon was preceded in death by his brother Carl and his adopted son Eric.

A funeral service will be held at 10 am on Saturday, August 24th at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, 6221 Main Street, Houston, TX 77030. A live stream of the funeral service will be available at palmerchurch.org/live. There will also be a burial service at 11 am on Tuesday, August 27th at Forest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023.