In Memory of

Tonita Tonne

April 4, 1921 - June 10, 2015

 

 

Tonita Mozelle Gray Tonne passed away on June 10th,

2015 in San Angelo,

TX at the age of 94 years, 2 months and 6 days.

Mozelle was born April 4th 1921, in the Bowser community,

San Saba County, TX to Lonnie and Ida Ringhoffer Gray.
Before her second birthday, her father moved the family

 from the Texas oilfields to Salt Valley, UT

to work for his father-in-law,

 Alex Ringhoffer, in a silver mine. After about a year,

the family returned to the Texas oilfields.

 

The family followed oil booms to Burkburnett, Holliday,

Dad's Corner, Fry, Cross Cut, then on to West Texas.
Mozelle's first school was Buffalo, in Coleman County, TX.

By the time she graduated at Garden City, in Glasscock County,

with the class of 1938, she had attended nine different schools.
In 1940 Mozelle came to San Angelo and rented a room

from Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Duke on West 2nd street

 and worked a Retoucher at Price Studio.

On December 7th, 1940 Mozelle and Gilbert Tonne,

of Grape Creek community, were riding with another couple.

As they turned off West Harris onto South Chadbourne Street,

they saw a newsboy across from the Standard-Times

yelling and carrying a bundle of papers.
Gilbert said, "I'll bet war has broke out!"
Gilbert caught the newsboy and bought a paper

where the headlines read "Japs Bomb Pearl Harbor!"
Gilbert had already received his "Greetings" from Uncle Sam

and was to report the next day to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio

 for induction into the U.S. Army.

As part of "The Greatest Generation," Mozelle began her journey

by attending night school in the basement of the

Tom Green County Court House to equip workers for a nation

 that had suddenly been plunged into WWII.

While attending night school, Mozelle worked as a desk clerk

 during the day at the Roosevelt Hotel, and for a short time,

at the Cactus Hotel as a switchboard operator.

Mozelle received her diploma on December 31st, 1942,

 but had previously received her War Service Appointment

as a clerk-typist at Goodfellow Field, and began working

in the Purchasing & Contracting Office

 on the first Day of December 1942.
In July of 1943 Mozelle transferred to Pyote (Rattlesnake)

Army Air Base in the same position.

At 21 years of age, she became the

Purchasing & Contracting Officer for the entire base.

Mozelle's primary responsibility was maintaining a supply of fuel,

breathing oxygen and airplane tires –

all other needs took second place.

Breathing oxygen was necessary for high altitude flying

of the B-17 Bombers that flew 365 days a year.

During her tenure, there was never a flight delayed

 or cancelled for lack of either fuel or oxygen.

Mozelle married Gilbert Tonne July 10th 1944 upon his return

from his third frigid winter near Anchorage, Alaska.

Gilbert was then stationed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso where

 Mozelle joined him after resigning her position in Pyote.

 While at Ft. Bliss, Mozelle worked in the records

 section of the Quartermaster Laundry.
After seeing Gilbert off to "destination unknown"

at Ft. Ord, CA in March of 1945 (he was put off at Hawaii)

Mozelle returned to the Goodfellow Field Purchasing

 and Contracting Office in San Angelo where it all started.

Gilbert was discharged on Halloween night

1945 and returned to San Angelo.
Their first child, Susan, was born in 1947.

Mozelle took a year's leave then resigned

her hard earned Civil Service Commission to be a

 full time wife and mother.

Mozelle's life verse was Psalm 27:4
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

 to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple."

Mozelle was preceded in death by a grandaughter,

 Kimberly Williams, in 1981 and her beloved husband,

 Gilbert, on December 15th, 2004 after

 60 treasured years of marriage.
Mozelle is survived by four children and their spouses;

 Susan and Buddy Smith of Australia,

 Tonita and Wayne Williams of San Angelo, TX,

 John Tonne of San Angelo, TX,

 and David and Terri Tonne of Edmond, Oklahoma.

 Mozelle leaves a wonderful legacy behind for her

 11 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren

whom she deeply loved.

 

 

 

A Tribute to my Grandmother

 

The Prayer Warrior



A little me and my Grandma

 

As I reflect on the passing of my Grandmother, I am reminded of something my Dad said before she left this earthly dwelling for her heavenly home. He said, “You really haven't lost anyone if you know where they are, have you?” I have not forgotten this and it got me thinking about the sorrowing we do over 'losing' someone precious to us. If we know they are with the Lord in heaven, we haven't lost them. We know exactly where they are and we can take comfort in God's promises.

Yes, we will grieve but as Psalm 30:5b says, “…....weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We know where she is and there is joy and peace and comfort in that knowledge.

 

As we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

I have the calm assurance that God will raise her again to take her to be with Him in the clouds. Hallelujah!

For those of you who never had the great privilege of meeting my Grandma, I'd like to introduce her to you.

My Grandma was the most Godly woman in all the world. This beautiful lady was a woman after God's own heart. She lived her life, one day at a time, trusting the Lord to lead and guide her every step of the way and she was a prayer warrior of the like I've never seen before. She really knew how to bring her requests to the Lord and lay them at His feet.

She didn't always have an easy life, trials often came her way, but she trusted the Lord and held to His promises without doubting them.

I know I owe her a debt of gratitude for all the prayers she offered up on my behalf. I'm sure that my life could have been very different without her faithfulness in intercession. She prayed for our family faithfully for much longer than I've been alive. She faithfully read God's word. She was faithful in attending church and serving in every way possible. She was faithful to her family.

She had Martha's hands and Mary's heart. All too often, I have Martha's hands, busy doing, doing, doing, but forgetting that one needful thing, kneeling at Jesus feet and gaining the strength I need to go on. My Grandmother had Mary's heart in that respect, and she had the serving hands of Martha. A balance of both. She set an excellent example to everyone in her family and my mother is becoming just like her and sets a wonderful example for me to follow.

The last time I was able to see my Grandmother was 23 years ago, so I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with my Grandmother, but her influence was still strong on my life. She wrote letters, cards, sent presents and always, there was a verse of scripture, an encouraging word, something to remind me of her love, not only for me, but for her precious Lord Jesus as well. I always knew that 'she had my back' if I can use that term. I always knew that she would be upholding me in prayer. My children were never able to meet her, but they knew that their Great Grandma Tonne was someone very special. Someone who cared about them and prayed for them.

My memories of her:

She got up early to allow time to pray and read God's word before her day started

She was always serving others

She kept her house beautiful and tidy

She worked hard

She didn't waste a thing

She was creative

She was a great seamstress

She was an amazing cook and made the best ever fried chicken and chicken fried steak

She never forgot a birthday or anniversary

She had an amazing memory

She wrote wonderful letters

She always prayed about what you asked her to pray about, even if you forgot. You had to be sure what you wanted prayed about was what you really wanted, because when Grandma prayed, mountains moved and things happened.

She was often the last in bed at night making sure everything was done

She loved unconditionally and always made you feel special

There are so many more memories of my dear, sweet Grandmother and I know I'll miss her, but I'll miss her prayers more than anything. I can always look again at the photos of her, I can recount memories of her with family members, I can listen to her voice on recorded messages, but I'll never again have her prayers interceding for me. I'll never again have her crying out to God on my behalf.

Which means one thing, I had better work on becoming the kind of God- fearing, praying, loving, serving, compassionate woman that she was and carry on her legacy of love for my children's children. It's going to take a lot more than one of us to become the kind of prayer warrior that she was, but Lord willing, we'll take up the challenge and give our children a Godly heritage.

I never realised just how much I loved my Grandmother, until God called her home.

I love you, Grandma.

 

After reading what I had written, my lovely sister Joye was able to put things into perspective better than I could, thanks sis. She said:

“One thing I do know, that even tho her current prayers for us have ceased, God remembers the prayers that she has prayed. God has a whole roomful of prayers that are pending. When someone dies, their prayers are not deleted, like lost, unopened or returned mail, thrown away and purposeless. Their prayers are still coming up before the Lord, useful and urgent as the day they were first prayed. God doesn’t work in our time frame. Those prayers may not have come due for answering until after the one who prayed them was gone.”

 



My Grandmother's house as I remember it



 

The hands of my Grandmother and my Mother

 

My Grandma's hands were knarled and wrinkled

with age, and yet, they were beautiful.

Toil and hardship had aged them

but her tears that fell on them as they folded in prayer 

only helped to soften them.

They were the hands of a true servant.

Oh how I wish I could hold them again.

 

 

Heaven is now richer