Lonnie York Jr.

Lonnie York Jr., age 96, of Houston, Texas passed away on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Lonnie was born June 30, 1926 in Alto, Texas to proud parents Loney York, Sr. and Audie Watson York, both deceased.

Lonnie was married to his beloved wife Mary Elizabeth Justice York of Houston, TX on October 23, 1965. He was a graduate of Phillis Wheatley High School and attended Texas Southern University. He served in the US Army where he received the National Defense Service Medal. A lifelong servant of Greater Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Houston, TX, he was a member of the choir, Adult Guild, and President of the Board of Directors. Known as a self-employed entrepreneur, Lonnie was a real estate investor and a master barber for 40 years. His hobbies included fishing, camping, working, and participating in neighborhood projects. He was an active membership of the Big Ten Hunting Club, NAACP, and Shepherd Park Terrace Civic Club.

Lonnie leaves to mourn his devoted wife, Mary Elizabeth York; Sons Dwight Pellerin (Patricia) and Martial York; Sister-in-Law: Anna Lois Taylor; Brothers-in-Law: Carl Taylor, Sr. and Walter “Chic” Harrison; Grandchildren: Ashley Pellerin, Courtney Pellerin, Phillip Pellerin (Shayla), Patrick Pellerin (Tarsha); six Great-Grandchildren; Nieces: Tiffany Taylor-Williams, Michelle Edwards, Monique Ellisor (Stephen), Nirvana Hightower- Plummer (Reginald), Susan Moore-Fontenot; Nephews: Christopher Jones, Carl T. Taylor, Jr. (Remona) and Bryon Edwards, Sr. (Dee), David Wells (Chris); Cousins: Dorothy Booker, Clarence Murray (Cheryl), El Thacker (Terra), Charles Bryant, Jeff Bryant (Rosa), David Brown; and a host of relatives and friends.

A visitation for Lonnie was held Monday, August 8, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Brookside Funeral Home, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, Texas 77039, followed by a funeral service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Interment was held immediately at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038 at 2:15 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy were shared at www.brooksidefuneralhomelauder.com for the York family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions were made to the National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org, in Loving Memory of Lonnie York, Jr.

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

― Omar Khayyám

Eulogy ~~Lonnie York

Delivered by Dr. Wilma Beauford

Jurisdictional Supervisor COGIC

August 8, 2022

And, “We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. For we are thankful and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”

Praise “Alpha and Omega”!

I am honored and humbled to have been asked to offer this Eulogy as requested by my Sister Mary York, my friend for many years, on behalf of her dearly beloved husband, Lonnie York, Jr.

A word about my linkage and love for this family. I spent a great deal of time in my life wanting a sister, having had only two brothers. I began with Anna Lois, as we played with doll babies, and did kid things. My parents even thought of her as my sister, and we took her on vacations with us. And then, as Mae and I were teaching English at Wheatley, she became my sister. Along with Eddie Hightower, we all continued as sisters.

A word about Mae. This beloved wife of Lonnie, a steadfast, unmovable woman of God, took the words seriously, “Till death do us part.” Loyal and faithful to the cause in the good times and in latter days of sickness and continuous caring, she remained dutiful. Mae did it all and without murmuring or complaining, just caregiving with care. Let’s give her a hand praise and salute. You did it well, Mae, right up until Lonnie’s last breath. God’s continued blessings to you in the readjustment of life ahead.

I would like now in my remaining minutes, to reference and call your attention to a familiar scripture, Micah 6:8, the NKJ version which states:

“He has shown you, o man, what is good, and what doth the

Lord require of you; but to do justly; love mercy; and to walk

Humbly with thy God.”

What God shows is good. And what God requires is important. God, through the Prophet Micah, is setting out requirements. To require—it is compulsory; it is obligated, mandated, set forth, and it is demanded. It is not if you want to. The Lord requires it.

First, to do justly—-be fair with your fellow persons in your judgment; to exercise justice. We are required to be just.

Secondly, to love mercy—-Love being kind, and forgiving, demonstrating mercy, if we wish to obtain mercy. Merciful people respond with grace and goodness. Bro. Lonnie just did good for others and loved doing it without a lot of praise and ovation. He just demonstrated mercy from his heart—-an attitude of covenant obligation. Through the prophet Micah, we are being told to have a heart-filled desire to do good to others and to obey God. This, Lonnie did always by helping others.

Thirdly, to walk humbly with thy God. This quality is called humility. Walking humbly with God is probably the most difficult requirement in the list. Why, because it puts God in direct competition with a fierce and unrelenting spirit: me, myself, and I. Bro. Lonnie had an humble spirit. He didn’t have to push his salvation, and put himself on stage, as so many others do. God wants the walk, not our rituals, sacrifices, showboating, and braggadocious knowledge. God wants the walk, a continuing display of humility, just as with Enoch and Noah. God is the center of the universe, not us. He is the omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal God. We are merely a weak combination of blood, flesh, and bone. Isa. 64:6 reminds us that, “We are all as an unclean thing...our righteousness is as filthy rags.” Pride makes us think of ourselves as the best, the smartest, and the most spiritual flesh and blood on the face of the earth. While God does not want us to be prideful, he doesn’t want us to feel worthless either. James 4:6 reminds us that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Bro. Lonnie demonstrated His grace. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others as Phil. 2:4 tells us. Bro. Lonnie did this.

Walking humbly permits us to display God’s goodness and mercy, displaying Him, not us. Humility is needed to practice justice, to love mercy, because we rely on God’s perfect law and goodness as our standard, not ourselves. He gives to us the gift of the Holy Spirit to I dwell our lives, to begin the work of conforming to His image, and having the mind of Christ.

I close from Hebrews 4:16, as we leave to remember, to grieve, to heal, to be thankful. “Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.”

Closing Congregational song. “Let the Church Say Amen.”

May God bless this family, Sis. Mae, and each of you.

Sisterly—Dr. Wilma Beauford