Lonnie Dow Porter passed on

On Sunday the 26th of October, Mr. Lonnie Dow Porter III died in Chilonga at his home, after a long struggle with Prostate cancer. He was put to rest on Friday the 31st of October in Chilonga cemetery. Lonnie worked for many years for Mpika Diocese as a builder and constructor. He built, for example, the Church at Kopa Musumba. Lonnie was born on 29 January 1945 in Selma, Alabama in the USA.

Lonnie on the day of his wedding

He went for a tour of duty to Vietnam and upon his return he obtained a degree in Economics and Art  from Troy-State University in Alabama. As a Peace Corps volunteer he worked first in Kenya and in 1995 he came as a volunteer to Zambia. He was stationed in Kopa. Later on, he joined the diocese and was building anything from Churches to pit latrines, putting in solar lighting, water reticulations and was drilling wells to name but a few activities. In 2005 he married Dr. Pauline Borsboom in Chilonga and started building a beautiful place in Shiwa at the lake. Last year January Lonnie broke his hip after a fall and became critically ill in the ICU in Johannesburg. This broken leg proved to be the first sign of an aggressive form of metastatic prostate cancer and ever since he struggled with that vicious decease. He was a dedicated Catholic and strong believer in God. He was loved by many and we will miss him dearly. May his soul rest in the peace of Christ.