ELDON (Al) F. LONERGAN

JEFFERSONVILLE - Eldon (AL) Franklin Lonergan, 82, passed away peacefully Monday afternoon, Nov. 1, 2004, in Genesis Elder Care in Morrisville. Born July 14, 1922, in Whitman, Mass., he was the youngest of three sons born to the late John A. Lonergan of County Kerry, Ireland, and Harriet "Hattie" M. (Drake) Lonergan of Whitman. Eldon grew up near the ocean surrounded by blueberry fields and cranberry bogs where he loved to camp and go clamming for quahogs as a boy. He graduated from Whitman High School in 1941 and a few years later joined the Navy where he became an aviation machinist and served on the escort carrier the USS Savo Island in World War II. After the war, Eldon moved to Vermont to join his brother Ken, who was building the Champlain Marina at Malletts Bay. Both loved boats and the open water and Eldon had a special passion for sailing. After working for the U.S. Postal Service and graduating from Burlington Business College, Eldon secured a job at IBM in 1957 where he was an engineer until his retirement in 1983. After his retirement, Eldon frequently visited Jeffersonville to see his grandson and fell in love with the area and the warm, friendly people who lived there. He moved there himself in early 2002 just prior to entering Genesis Elder Care later that year where he kept everyone entertained with his dry sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by all. He is survived by his eldest daughter, Kathy-Jo "K-Jo" Lonergan and her son Shannon J. Lonergan, both of Jeffersonville; his son, Kerry D. Lonergan of Burlington; his youngest daughter, Kimberly A. Couch, her husband Andrew and their two boys, Spencer and Austin of Falmouth, Maine; his brother Ray's wife, Shirley Lonergan of Hanson, Mass. He was also predeceased by his brothers, Kenneth and Raymond Lonergan. A memorial service will be held in the Second Congregational Church in Jeffersonville at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13. Donations in Eldon's memory may be sent to Vermont's Camp TaKum-Ta, P.O. Box 576, Waterbury, Vt. 05676.