Friday, January 21, 2011

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Lavona Rann, SFO

My friend Lavona Rann, SFO, passed into eternal life around 7 pm December 23, 2010. Today was her funeral Mass, or Resurrection Mass as it was described on the program. As Lavona had so very-very many friends around the world who knew her through the world wide web, from LaPub to Facebook and everything in between, I wanted to share this with those of you who could only join us in spirit.

Below is the program (by which I mean the paper itself, NOT the Mass, which is a LITURGY not a "program"). Father Podwysocki focused his homily on the Beatitudes, and challenged us to ask ourselves if we are ready to face God if we should die today. He also encouraged us to pray for Lavona and said "Even if she is in heaven already, our prayers will not be wasted." Another point he made is that we must let Lavona go even as Mary once let Jesus go, and as Christians, we don't say "good-by", but "see you later".





A statue of the Holy Family, to the left of the altar, above and to the right of which is...


Next are the photos of the Altar, and Lavona's memorial in front of it.


In honor of another of Lavona's friends, here is "The View From the Back Pew" of the church, which hosts 10 Masses every weekend. They have English, Spanish, and Polish Masses (and hymnals!)


Here is Father, who graciously allowed me to take his photo when I asked, telling him that I thought you would all want to see him.

Photos of some of the Memorial Cards and Enrollments.


And last, but most assuredly not least, Lavona.
Born into life February 23, 1943
Born into eternity December 23, 2010












May the Angels lead you into paradise.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for going, for taking these pictures...I'm in tears, here.

    As I work on my icon of OLPH, I'll continue to remember Lavona, and every time I send a kiss to St. Joseph, she'll be included, for I cannot forget her devotion to him.

    Prayers for her and her dear husband Richard whom I am sure misses her with every beat of his heart.

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  3. I remember Lavona from AppleLink Personal Edition (ALPE), before it became America Online (AOL). She essentially created the format for chat room standards and hosting within "LaPub," her virtual salon and gathering place. Lavona's incredibly engaging and loving personality endeared her to tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands and ultimately millions) of ALPE and AOL users. Rest in peace, dear Lavona.

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