Obituary

This will run in Thursdays Tribune & Deseret News.

John Michel Rona of Sandy Utah entered into his rest on Sunday May 24, 2009 at the IMC Hospital of severe head trauma due to a motorcycle accident on May 12, 2009.

Son of the late Herbert Rona & Jacqueline Arbogast, John was born on July 6, 1953 in Salt Lake City, UT. He served an honorable mission in Sao Paolo, Brazil & soon after married Darlene Taylor on July 7th, 1976 (later divorced). They had 5 children together. He was a hard working computer programmer & loved by his associates at ACS. He was a man of many talents, not the least of them music. He was adept at multiple instruments but favored the piano, playing for family, friends, church, and for the pure love of the sound and its creation. Although he cared little for the attention it brought him, he enjoyed sharing his amazing talent with anyone who asked and touched countless lives because of it.

His second joy was sunlight, always a healthy brown from his time in its rays, he spent more time in his garden and on his lawn than in his home, his arms full of the fruits of his labor. A selfless man he gave more away than he kept for himself.

John was a deep thinker, constantly studying and learning, sharing the knowledge with his children and those it would help. A peace maker he often helped with conflicts at work. John was a wonderful listener, providing an ear for those who simply needed to talk. He was also thoughtful, offering such heartfelt gifts they seemed hand tailored to the recipient.
He was a sweet man, revered by many, loved by all, and dear to his family.

He is survived by his children & their spouses: Summer James (Tyson), Cassidy (Laure), Moshe (Rachel), Jasmine Brundage (Spencer), & Eden; his two grandsons: Boulder & Joshua; siblings: Dan Rona, Edie Smart, Peter Rona, & Lily Pearson. Predeceased by grandparents; Alphonse Arbogast & Sophie Matz; Martin Rosenthal & Ellen Cohn.

A viewing will be held on May 28, at 6-8pm at Larkin Mortuary 1950 E 10600 S Sandy. The funeral service will be held on Friday May 29, at 12pm at the LDS Church 10945 S 1700 E Sandy with a brief viewing before at 10:45am – 11:45am. Burial will follow at Larkin Mortuary.

Memorial Service & Viewing for John Rona

Thursday May 28th 6-8
Viewing at Larkin Sunset Gardens 1950 East 10600 South Sandy, UT 84092
Friday May 29th 10:45- 11:45
Viewing at Dimple Dell Ward 10945 S 1700 East Sandy, UT 84092
Friday May 29th 12:00
Memorial Service at Dimple Dell Ward Chapel

John Michel Rona
June 6th 1953- May 24th 2009
Survived by his children:
Summer James, Cassidy Rona, Moshe Rona, Jasmine Brundage & Eden Rona
And his siblings:
Edie Smart, Dan Rona, Peter Rona, Lily Pearson
Obituary will be in the Wednesday papers in Salt Lake City, UT

He will be greatly missed until we see him again.

We will Never Forget You

Our dear father, John Michel Rona passed away today at 4:17 p.m. He fought a good fight, but he was called home & has an important work to do. Many of us believe he is arranging the music in heaven & is preparing for the second coming. His bishop gave him a blessing & we all were praying for dad to be at peace. They removed the life support & allowed him to breath on his own without the trach. He did so for about an hour and a half. As soon as my brother, Moshe moved his bed into the sun he took his last breath. He looked peaceful & we trust he is happy.

I can't help but feel grateful for the last 12 days we were able to spend with him. His injuries could've taken him the first day, but we were able to hold his hand, watch him move his feet, see him smile & hear his heart beat.

There must have been thousands of prayers around the world going up on his behalf. I am so glad that he was able to stick around to see the outpouring of love that was shown to him throughout his last days. The visits, the comments, the letters, the prayers, the hope, the caring of us kids, the tears. I know he saw & felt it all.

We miss him so much already & feel a deep sadness for his loss. He is an amazing man, a hard worker, a giver, a talented piano player, a father, a son, a brother, a father-in-law, a grandpa, a teaser, a gardener, and a righteous man whom we love so much.

According to his statement, "we are left in our callings until we figure out how to do
them right" he must of finally figured out how to do it right & has now been released to a higher calling.

We love you dad & will never forget you.

Love, Hope & Faith

After church we are going to the hospital & the doctors will withdraw life support from my dad. His body is healthy, heart is beating, he is breathing in and out; but his mind is injured possibly beyond repair. We don't know how he will respond & pray that whatever the outcome, it is for his highest good. We all want to help my dad in any way that he needs it & it may be to help him move on. If the chance presented itself, we would be there every step of the way during his recovery, no matter what it took. We would move in with him & help him to learn to walk again, or talk or play the piano or just listen to great music. If this is what our dad chooses, we are up for it. It is easy to sacrifice for those you love. There is no doubt that we are willing to go the distance for my dad. He is an amazing man with such a good heart.

If he moves on, we will remember his greatness. We will dedicate everything we do to him. We will hear him in music, in the wind & in our hearts. We will miss him everyday & talk about his memory with pride & happiness. He will live on through us & become our greatest ministering angel. I know he will watch over us & continue to parent us kids in a more meaningful & powerful way than he ever could here on earth. He will be with us always.

We love him, we miss him, we look up to him, & we are so proud of him. We will continue to have faith until the end & hope in our hearts.

Message from John about music

This was sent to me from the woman in charge of the ward newsletter. She asked my dad to share a little something about serving as the choir accompanist. Here is what he said:

Music has always been a large part of my life and has brought me a lot of peace
and enjoyment ... it is almost therapeutic and provides a spiritual environment that
is difficult to find from any other source.

Accompanying the choir is a very rewarding experience and is a great way to give
back to the ward by sharing my talents.

I have accompanied the Dimple Dell choir for 14 1/2 years and before that when I
lived in the Kingshill Drive area I accompanied that choir for over 12 years.

The way I look at it is that we are left in our callings until we figure out how to do
them right. It usually takes a Bishop about 5 years to learn how to do that calling
and then they are released and a Stake President usually takes a bit more time than
that.

I have been through quite a few choir directors over the past 14 years that have figured
out how to do their calling and were released. I guess after 26+ years that I still have
more to learn from this calling before I can be released ... so I will keep learning and
keep accompanying ...

John

May 23 Saturday 3pm

I’m here with dad right now. He is moving his left foot a lot & coughing a lot. He still moves his lips when I tickle them & I can see his eyelids squint a bit as if he’s closing them tighter. He doesn’t have a fever & his blood pressure is good. His heart rate did go pretty low this morning, into the 30’s. He’s back in the 70’s now. He looks so good. So young & handsome. It feels as if he is in & out of here. I believe with all my heart that if the Lord wants him here, dad will fight & come back and if he has a greater calling on the other side, he will magnify it above and beyond what is expected of him. This is precious time right now. I get to hold his hand & see his foot move & see his heart rate rise when I sing to him. I love him so much & I know he can feel it.

Wake Up Song

I wrote this song the day before the accident. I found the timing & words pretty interesting.

Wake Up
Summer Rona

Wake up, wake up & come along with me
Get up, get up we got a lot to see
Going back to when we were just kids
When you could stand up, stand up for who you want to be
Not give up, give up, on all your silly dreams
When hide and seek was thrill enough to live

We gotta lot to live before we die
We gotta take this shot to feel alive

Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Wake up, wake up & feel alive

Make up, make up with those you really love
Jump up, jump up, cause standing's not enough
It's time to smile and easily forgive
Let up, let up on all the crazy stuff
Shut up, shut up no need to make a fuss
Look around and bring the positive

We gotta lot to live before we die
We gotta take this shot to feel alive

Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Wake up, wake up & feel alive