Jonathan "Jon" D. Dewald Obituary (1941

Jonathan (Jon) David Dewald passed away at age 81 after a seven-year struggle with Dementia with Lewy Bodies. He was born on February 14, 1941, in Saginaw, MI and came to Pontiac, IL at age 28. All of his working years were spent at Star Erectors. He was lucky enough to find a place in the country where he and his wife, Judy, raised their four children. He was a quiet, gentle man who loved the peace found along the woods of Rooks Creek. His children are Sheri (David) Reynolds, Nashville, TN, Tracy (Jon) Farney, Normal, IL, Jami (Chris) Urosevich, Huntley, IL, and Matt (Dawn) Dewald, Pontiac, IL. He has twelve grandchildren whom he prayed for faithfully for 25 years. They are Payton and Sadie Mellema. Jack and Anna Farney, Grace (Farney) Dobbs and husband Brayden. Claire, Kate and Molly Urosevich. Emma, Jake, Morgan and Sam Dewald. His desire was that they would grow up to be contributing citizens, hard workers, trustworthy and kind people, and that most of all they would be followers of Christ. Jon wasn't what you would call the life of the party, but in his younger days if you ever needed help or encouragement, he was your man. His children would say he was a "penny pincher" and that they were expected to toe the line, but in the end, they were grateful for the lessons they learned from him. He was neither frugal nor strict with his grandchildren. In fact, he was just the opposite, making sure that all of them had their first taste of ice cream before turning one. Jon built his own house and washed his car by hand every week. He loved to start on a project when it was 90 degrees outside much to the chagrin of his wife and family. Since the majority of his shirts had a big yellow M on them, it wasn't hard to tell where his loyalty laid. He loved his Bible study group; they were like his second bunch of children. As he aged, he was happy just sitting back quietly, watching all the happenings, and coming up with some good one-liners. He was a man who always gave and rarely asked for anything. He is survived by one brother: Sam in Saginaw, MI. Jon has donated his body to science at the University of Illinois so there will be no graveside service. Instead, please join us for a celebration of his life on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at 2:00PM at Pontiac Bible Church. The family will greet friends and family following the service. Memorials may be made to Pontiac Bible Church or Vivace, a Christian Outreach coffee shop in Mumbai, India through Lifesong in Gridley, IL. Our deep appreciation goes to OSF Home Healthcare and OSF Hospice for their help and tender care of our father. Online condolences may be made to the family at duffyfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.