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Our dear friend, Neal Vonada, has passed
away. According to his daughter, he had a brain hemorrhage last week
(April 25-30), went into a coma and passed peacefully on May 1, 2008.
This is from his daughter, Julie Vonada,
written to a radio station on myspace, requesting to play a song for her
dad:
**** From Julie Vonada: dated May 2, 2008:
Neal, was 81 years old and last I talked
with him, he said he didn't have time to read because there was so much
to be done and he felt he didn't have that much time left to do it.
Even having been retired for many years, this was no understatement -
Neal was very busy with many things, mostly giving and sharing with
those around him to try and make this world a better place to live in.
Neal was a highly successful businessman who
was written up in a few "whos who" in business type things (can google
those locations). A vet who served his country (I think in the Korean
war??), he later, after working a stint in a mortuary and/or perhaps
owning the mortuary for several years, went on to buy a recreational
vehicle dealership and spent a good part of his working years running
this dealership. He also for a while, (before the recreational vehicle
dealership) owned a phone store...
He was known, even in business for his
ethical business practice and personalized handling of his customers.
But he was also highly successful in business and highly admired in the
business community for his originality and cleverness.
Married twice, he nursed both wives who died
of cancer. "I have known what's it's like to watch someone die of
cancer," he had told me. He has several kids and grandkids who adore him
- he was very active in his kids and grandkids lives.
Many years ago, he decided that when the
telephone company stopped the service of telling people the time, that
service was needed. Not just for the time which Neal felt was important
to keep track of, but many people who were very lonely, would call those
services just to hear a human voice however, since the advent of the
internet - that had gone the way of the "nickel beer" so to speak and
Neal worried about all those people who no longer could call these
numbers.
 So
he bought several 800 numbers and donated the operation of his "Grandpa
Time" lines for the next decade or more. He not only reported the time
to his callers but interesting snippets of news, humorous items and many
other things. As I understand it, his lines were well used and he
logged thousands of calls on a weekly basis, bringing light into so many
people's lives.
The following is a snippet from an article
in the local Seattle newspaper about Neal and his time lines:
Neal also ran an internet group called "Mpositive"
which boasted of members in many countries of the world. It was his
idea to bring these people together, people of all races and creeds, to
find a commonality and to come together in love. It wasn't an easy job
but he did accomplish a lot with that group - he had the patience to
continue although he often pulled out his hair with it...
A longtime member of MENSA, Neal had served
in many positions of office including, I believe LocSec up in his area.
Around the house, when not supporting his family (he had a granddaughter
who played the viola, he proudly told me and sent me announcements of
her concerts), sharing with other businesspeople, running his "Grandpa
Time" phone lines and updating his website, he loved gardening.
Neal admired people of faith and attended a
church for most of his life although admitted to me that he had never
received what we Christians call "the gift of faith". But he was a man
of faith and great integrity in his actions and love, and I feel very
confident that he is with God in Heaven now through what we Catholics
call "Baptism of Desire". (Seeking the truth and to love in the best way
one can do). Neal was a man who reached out to everyone in love...
I am writing this from my memories of him
because I have not seen many memorials and he was such a wonderful
person, I wanted to write something, poor as it may be...
This is a biography of Neal for those who
haven't seen it or may have missed it:
One of his projects, a group to build up
Mensa:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mofww/ (has public archives)
More of his recent messages, last dated
April 18, 2008 on another topic:
This is his famous Grandpa Time website
where you can visit and reminisce and enjoy with him:
I truly hope someone keeps up this website
but I have saved the pages and will, if his site goes down, put up a
replica as best as I can.
I do not know who will keep up his grandpa
time phone lines - there are few people as kind and generous as he was,
willing to spend the money to maintain these lines as well as the hours
on a daily basis to update them.
Dear Neal, I won't say "Goodbye" but only
"farewell" my dear friend and hope to see you later on across that
Golden Bridge...
with love and sorrow,
SueW
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