He was born, high in the mountains of Peru, on 8-18 at 08:18.
His life seemed short, but he was so sweet!
He was surely a gift from the LORD!

On August 9, 1977, Don and I were married in a unique, wonderful, godly, beautiful service in the Calistoga, California Seventh-day Adventist Church!

That was 46 years ago. Since that time, many members of our immediate family who were present at that happy occasion have died --- Don, my grandparents Belle & Opha Mays, my Aunt Marybel, Mom's only sibling, Aunt Esther, my Dad John O. Ford, my Mom Elora Lou Mays Ford, Bob's wife Blanche, Nora & Larry's only son Michael, and sadly, many, many beloved pets!

Here are words spoken by Jesus Himself:

"I AM the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me shall live, even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." John 11:25,26

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly. Amen.'

(My response follows,)

             Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

August 9, 1977 was a wonderful day!!! August 9, 2022 is a wonderful day also!!! We are 45 years closer to the return of Jesus! 

I've written a special message under the stories section. Also, I've been in touch with Phil & family and Ann & family, and have added some new photos and stories for you to enjoy.

Seven years since Don died. They have been full of the love of Jesus, family and friends, Arthur and his family. Don is not forgotten. Our time together was rich and wonderful. I praise the Lord for His providence!

Marylou,

I just spent time on your website. I was both happy and sad to "spend time" with him again.

Kevin

Marylou,

Don, Ann, my brother Keith and I spent a lot of time together in Guayaquil in 1958-1959. Don was my best buddy back that year. We were together everyday after school. I have such fond memories of that year with him. Unfortunately I did not see much of him after that.

I am so sorry for you that he is gone.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2 NKJV

Kevin Stokes

Today is the 71st anniversary of Don's birth. "8-18 at 8-18" -- I can hear in my mind the precious stories told by the family about Don's birth 12,556 feet elevation in Puno, Peru - stories from Aunt Daisy & Uncle David Duffie, Mom Virginia, & brother Philip, and also from Don himself as he shared his version of the stories. How glad I am that I have the great privilege of being a part of his dear family and he being a part of mine! I am very eager to hear "the trumpet sound"!

"God be with you 'til we meet again."

August 9, 1977, was a day full of joy & gladness as Don and I were married! God's providence brought us together, His love & truth kept us together, and His Word is the firm foundation for future hope! See the most recent stories for more . . .

From Mike DiCicco, Ann’s husband. 
  I met Don (my brother-in-law) when Ann and I visited him in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He’d just gotten a job as an accountant in Kalamazoo.
  He was delighted to meet me; however, Ann & Don spent the next 10 minutes talking over each other, yet not losing the subject matter.
  I enjoyed his dry matter-of-fact humor. Loved talking with him while we each were driving trucks over the road.
  We still miss him.

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since my sweetie took his last breath as I was ministering to him -- as his special duty "nurse", and wife, and lover, and friend, and confidant, and mother of his two sons, and most of all his fellow traveler on the narrow way to Heaven.

Don is resting in death. I am resting in the Lord in my life. I can only rejoice that God's providence brought Don and me together in such a specific way and that we had the privilege of sharing God's Word.

"The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.
             Blessed be the name of the LORD!" Job 1:21

I also posted a new video from spring 2020, as I am standing by a forsythia bush, while a robin is singing, and I read a passage from Daniel which was very important to Don.

8-18-1949 Don was born. High in the mountains of Peru. His life was unique, special, dedicated to serving the Lord and treasuring His Word! He is greatly missed. I am thankful that his life and mine were intertwined by the providence of Heaven. I trust Jesus with Don's future as well as my own.

Three years ago today, Don took his last breath. It seems like yesterday in some ways, while in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago.

I am so thankful ---
   * * * for the mercy of God,
   * * * for His living and powerful Word,
   * * * for the privilege of sharing the hope of the soon return of Jesus with men & women who are incarcerated!

I look forward to following God’s continued leading in my life.

"And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone."
                                                   Isaiah 42:16

You are in my prayers today Marylou as I know you miss Don a lot. Looking forward to the resurrection day to see our dear loved ones again just as you are! Love and prayers and I treasure the time of our last visit together with you and your dear Mother Elora.

8-18-49 at 8:18 Don was born. I have shared some thoughts under the "stories" portion. I surely was blessed to have shared life with him!!!

Two years have passed since we said good-by to Don.
Two years to grieve, to rejoice, to adjust, to hope, to prepare.
Two years closer to the return of the LIFEGIVER who said:
   "I AM the resurrection and the life."

I have posted on the story section and included a photo I inadvertently found in a file folder. Thank you, dear ones, for remembering Don.

Lovingly,

Mary Lou

8-18-1949 Don was born . I have posted a brief story of some happy memories of his 28th birthday which happened during our very special honeymoon.

If you have any special birthday memories to share I'd love it!

Mary Lou

Blessings Mary Lou. Thinking of you and your family. You all are in my prayers.

Today is our 39th wedding anniversary! How I miss Don! How I eagerly wait for the coming of Jesus!!! Thank you each for your love, your prayers, your random phone calls & emails.

"Bear ye one another's burdens,
   and so fulfill the Law of Christ." Galatians 6:2


How very fortunate I was to have my life intertwined with that of Don.

                             M A R A N A T H A !

                                     Mary Lou

This dear note came by email from Amy Lynn (Steinweg) Krum


Hi Aunt Mary Lou,

I am thinking of you and praying for you especially today.

I tried to leave a message on the website but I don't think it worked. Oh well, mostly just wanted to tell you I love you and I'm thinking of you and remembering all the years you and Uncle Don were such a blessing to me when I was at Weimar.

             Thank you again!   

               Love,

               Amy

This message came by email from Julia Outkina in Russia (who knows by experience the pain of losing her husband to death). Thank you, Julia, for remembering, and for your kind words!

Julia - this verse is for both of us: Job 1:21

'The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.

     Blessed be the name of the LORD.'




Hi dearest Mary Lou and family,

Please accept my greatest sympathies on this sad day, after one year
has passed. Our blessed hope and happiness is in Christ Whom we shall see soon and unite in Him with our loved ones. . .

God is with you, dearest Mary Lou!

Lovingly in Him, Julia

A los familiares de Don: Su recuerdo es imborrable. Lo vemos a través de los años con la seriedad única con que hacía sus cosas, atendía sus clases y ofrecía sus tareas escolares. Era un modelo de persona y de joven cristiano, admirable y digno de seguir su ejemplo. 

Que Dios acompañe a sus familiares con la esperanza de verlo en la resurrección de los justos.

Eduardo y Flora Ocampo

I didn't know Don very well, but I can tell by reading the comments that he made an impact in a lot of lives. Mary Lou, I really enjoyed looking at the pictures of the life and adventures you had together, thank you for the invitation to the site.
Blessings and prayers to you,
Sara

Dear Aunt Mary Lou,

I was just reading some of these messages and am so blessed by all the love and hope poured out by so many people. The music especially is so wonderful. What a blessing that God gave this site to Uncle Don to be a comfort to you. Yesterday was my son Nathan's 12th B-day. Rachel Leffler, John Krum's daughter, birthed Emily Grace, just last night! It made me think of my birthday, only 2 days away from Uncle Don's. I am thinking especially of him and remembering the times we celebrated our birthdays together when I was a little girl. I was six when we went to the zoo together with my parents and shared a cake. :) He was a special uncle. Love you so much! Amy

Hi Mary Lou,
I'm so sorry to hear about your hubby, Don! I didn't know him, but knew his brother's children @ Weimar! Wonderful family! I know you will miss him a lot, but you will see him very soon! Jesus is coming soooo soon! What a reunion that will be! May God wrap His arms about you and hold you close to His heart and comfort you, is my prayer for you right now! (Bonny Strickland Hillebert).

What a blessing to see Don at the Cancer Support Group meetings twice monthly and see he was still alive, and to hear his and Mary Lou's witness of trust in God and thanks to Him! I prayed for him daily, and now for Mary Lou and Ann and family daily that God will comfort them and bless them with His presence.

Thank you for thinking of us and sending this tribute.
Don and Sally Rosenbaum

I was blessed to listen to the scripture songs recorded by Uncle Don and Aunt Mary Lou. I miss Uncle Don. Can't wait for Heaven!
Love,
Helen

Dear Mary Lou,

As teenagers we had so many adventures. Then came marriages and work, children, and loss of time spent together. The very small time we spent with Don, I knew you had met you soul mate. Your study of the Word of God, your writing of music, your parenting two wonderful sons, and many other memories you will live with alone now until you meet with Don again at the feet of Jesus in heaven. The beautiful mournful tones of Bach's "Come, Sweet Death," is an earthly reminder that heaven is the next thing Don will experience at the second coming. Until then my love is with you, as you continue in this next part of your journey.

Linda and I will always look back fondly on the weekend you and Don and the boys spent with us in our Dobbins home. We were encouraged and inspired by you your family. Looking forward to getting to know all of you better in the kingdom.

Jim Pappas

My Dear Sister, Mary Lou. I''m so thankful the Lord provided a way for me to go out to be with you recently. Don had been such a blessing in our lives. I know we will miss him dearly. I'm so thankful we have the recordings of the two of you singing the scripture songs the Lord gave you two. The recordings and the pictures help to keep his memory alive and close. 
What a blessed hope we have.

Mary Lou, the two of you have been such an inspiration. Your love for each other was evident in every word and gesture. Don was an exceptional man. I only knew him through the cancer group, but he was such an optimistic and determined man. We all admired him.
 As you know, I have had a similar loss in my life. Take good care of yourself. Take the time to grieve. Don will be there for you and you can keep talking to him! He will surely be listening, just like he did when he was alive. He was such a good man.

I was very saddened to hear that Don had died. He was my best friend when we were young boys in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I am sorry that I did not have the privilege of knowing him as an adult. From what I have heard he was a wonderful husband, father, friend and church member.

I would like to share a very comforting paragraph from Desire of Ages page 483 that has meant a lot to me over the years.

Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore." Revelation 1:18. I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations. I know your tears; I also have wept. The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know. Think not that you are desolate and forsaken. Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Isaiah 54:10.

Let me share some of my memories of Don. My family had been in Ecuador for three months when the Steinwegs arrived. I was very happy to meet another American Adventist boy. We saw each other almost every day for five months until we went back to the States. We would alternate visits– one day I would walk to Don’s house, the next day he would walk to mine and so on. We would have lots of fun playing and talking together.

Don and Ann, my brother Keith and I used to play hide and seek. In one of them Ann suggested that Keith hide in a planter on top of our balcony wall. (It was safe!) He was so well concealed that Don and I looked all over, could not find him and had to give up.

I began a hobby of collecting maps and airline schedules in Ecuador. I went downtown several times to request them from airline offices. Both Don and Ann remember going with me.

Happy childhood pastimes were so much fun. I am happy that I got to share many of them with Don. I wish that we had continued our friendship into adolescence and adulthood.

Don and Mary Lou and I also had in common a love for Elder Bill Lehman. I listened to and counselled with him for more than a decade. He was a tremendous blessing to me.

Kevin Stokes

I first met Don when I came to this country in 1970. We used to play racquetball and work together. He was obviously very intelligent and very modest with a keen appreciation of God. He was not a boaster, but rather the opposite. He always did what he considered to be right.
It is sad that he has departed this life and I look forward to seeing him again. Tom Miller

I have not kept up with Don since we graduated together in 1971.
I remember don as one of the most studious classmates I had. He was always right at the top of the class. I am so sorry to hear of his passing and the troubles he had for the past couple of years. I know how you feel, Mary Lou. I lost my daughter the day after you lost Don.
May God's Grace be sufficient for each of us.

I remember meeting Don when he came in for the first time to the cancer center. He told me he wouldn't be receiving treatment for his diagnosis, but his wife would be taking care of him.....hmmmm. O.K. Well I have watched this "wife" and Don over the last couple of years and they have warmed my heart, inspired me with their faith, and reminded me what marriage really means.. I love them both. People come into your life and out, but these two will always be carried in my heart......you have etched your initials. Love to you Mary Lou.

Dear Mary Lou
Elsie and I are very sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to meet Don. However based on the tributes posted here he was an outstanding husband, great father and a devoted Christian. There is that hope "that burns within our hearts" of the second coming of Christ where you will be reunited with Don again to continue your journey forever. Blessings and Love, Garnett and Elsie

Dear MaryLou,
It doesn't seem all that long ago, sitting in Don's Sabbath School class, or Friday evening vespers at you guys' apartment in Grand Terrace. Fast forward a few decades, forgot how, but we renewed our friendship on Facebook. We always enjoyed sharing our amazement at God's amazing grace. This continued, even when he was sick. I then called him to encourage him. Guess who was encouraged. I will always treasure the time when you called me and asked me talk to Don. He wasn't able to talk to me. I quoted John 14: 1-3 and said a short prayer. I
Was once again the one who was blest.
"So dear to my heart is the promise of God ... I'm homesick for heaven, seems I cannot wait ..."
Even so, come Lord Jesus. See you in the morning, my brother.

Mary Lou,
I have a soft spot in my heart for you and Don for reaching out to me while I was experiencing some turbulence in my life's journey. You both were an inspiration to me. I remember you guys singing songs on those Kentucky back roads while on your daily walk. Don went the extra mile for me by driving me well out of the way so I could meet up with a friend. He was a good man. 
I pray that you will find peace and encouragement during this challenging time. 
Looking forward to Heaven,
Mikki

Mary Lou, know you and your family are in our prayers and share your grief. It is so hard to let go of our love ones, and sure not an easy one. We love the scripture song you shared, beautiful! Take care of yourself Bonnie Cliff Olds

One week ago at 2:15 pm, Don, my treasured husband, lover, friend, companion and fellow-servant of the LORD, breathed his last breath. I was at his bedside. "YHWH gave, and YHWH has taken away, blessed be the name of YHWH." Wonderful peace.

Mary Lou! I'm so surprised...I had no idea. So sorry we have not kept in touch better than this! Comfort is only a prayer away...sometimes a prayer all day! I enjoyed seeing the pictures...he looks in those photos happier than I remember him here...he just seemed more serious. I had no idea that he composed songs or sang. My contact was mostly with you, I guess. I am so glad in the hope of resurrection and the day can't come too soon! But the truth is...there are still so many not ready. Still we can only hope the day everyone decides is soon.   Love you! May the Lord bless and keep you!

The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

He has sent me (Jesus) to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61:1b-2

FYI  There are so many really special and wonderful email messages that I have received - so my plan is to share them in the "His Life" section - so check at the very bottom of that tab for the latest. Thank you all for your love and especially these words that I can read over and over during the days and weeks to come when it will be so very real to me (right now I am rather numb) God is so good.

Dear Aunt Mary Lou,
I am in Chuuk on a mission trip, Amy and the kids are home in Guam.
I was touched just to read some of the other remarks on the memorial website. I tried to post mine but had trouble. Here it is:

From Roger Krum, Guam

Mary Lou, I just want to say how privileged I am to come to know both of you since marrying Don's brother's daughter Amy. Don was so personable, he took a personal interest in everyone, it seemed. I also liked about him that he thought for himself and wasn't afraid to stand firm on what he believed. And to share that with others in a respectful way. I will miss his quiet peaceful eagerness in the way he talked. I also enjoyed his humor. Mary Lou, we pray God will hold you close in His big arms as you heal from the pain of missing Don. Thank you for your constant faith in Jesus. I love you.

Love,

Roger

Dear marylou,

I am sorry for your pain. Don has always blessed us with his belief and hope in God and Jesus. May God comfort you as you adjust your life and give you hope in our world to come.

Love you Jerry

Dear Mary Lou,

I was pleased, years ago, to find that you had found someone in this world to enhance your joy as you journeyed to our heavenly home. 

I never had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with Don, as we never lived close enough that it was possible. I do recall when I did have the opportunity to see you both together, there seemed to be a radiance of joy and happiness. Also, in the ensuing years, whenever I've had an opportunity to speak with you, you often expressed what a fine man your husband was, and what a blessing he has been to you.

His passing saddens me, because I know from your expressions of your deep love and commitment to him that it will be a painful journey. By your comments, I know that you have Hope that you will be with him again. One of the greatest legacies of your life together with him is to continue to be a herald for Jesus. I believe that's what he would want you to do.

God bless you my dear friend.

Love,
Jim

O give thanks when shadows fall, when the night approaches,
when sleep will close the door of time,
when rest will come without dreams,
for the morning is promised to the weary, and the meek.
Behold, the poor in spirit have been given the seventh day of creation,
and the beginning of another week.

Our prayers and best wishes Mary, and to all the family. We know there is a great reunion ahead for us all. Don was a pleasant, kind and thoughtful man. He will surely be missed. Our fondest thoughts are with you. Much love, Ken Hines and family

Hi Mary Lou We have known each other's family since your folk were in medical school. Of course we were saddened to hear when the diagnosis was first made. God is SO GOOD for Him to give Don so many more months of life. Medically speaking that in it's self is a major miracle. I remember the first time I saw you and Don at your folks place in Calistoga. We will remember you and your's in prayer. Rick

Thank you, Don, for becoming a part of my precious 3 children: Mary Lou Steinweg, Robert Ford, and Nora Roth. You faithfully brought me letters from the prisoners Mary Lou and I write to. I grade the Bible studies and then return them. You put hundreds of stamps on letters to return. I will miss you, but I plan of seeing you very soon.