Martha Luann (Hanna) Lund of San Antonio passed away peacefully Sunday, November 3, 2019, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was preceded in death by her husband of 32 years, Col. (ret) James H Lund. She is survived by her brother, Jim Hanna, two children, Alisann Schweiker and David Lund, as well as 5 grandchildren and a multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.

Luann, Mother, Grandmother, LuLu, Aunt Lu, dear friend. Luann was called by many names and she meant so much to so many people. All those who had the chance to meet Mother, loved her. She was one of those rare people who truly delighted in making others happy. She was the cornerstone of her family; the rock they could all lean on when times were tough or celebrate with during the highs. Although the world will be a poorer place without her, the wonderful memories we share of her remind us we were glad to have had her in our lives.

Luann was born in Meridian and never imagined she would have the opportunity to live all over the world. Jim promised her he would get her back to Texas one day and, after 27 years of marriage and moving, he fulfilled his promise. Although Texas was always where she was from, Mother created a home wherever she went, and there were a lot of destinations in her life. 12 different Air Force bases and 18 total moves in 30 years and she made every new assignment and home an adventure that we all looked forward to taking. Somehow, she effortlessly convinced us that moving from Germany to Montgomery, Alabama, was an upgrade and we never doubted it. Every time we moved, Mother would spend all of the first night getting the kitchen in order so we could have breakfast together as a family the first morning in our new house.

Along with all those moves and address changes came the need of finding a church home and getting involved. Whether as the pianist for a small church outside Athens, Greece, or just keeping her children in line in the pew, Luann being in church and she loved the Lord. Worship for her was a must and there better be some good old fashioned hymn singing involved. And her family was going to be with her celebrating the Lord. Church was never a “do we have to?” but instead a “do we get to?”

Luann’s family was her focus but that title definitely was not limited to the family under the roof or even the large extended family that fell under that giant category of “cousin”; it included anyone who crossed her path. She never met a stranger and treated everyone as a friend she just had not invited to her Christmas Eve party…yet. And though the world was her neighborhood, she had a special place in her heart for her dear friends, and them for her.

As good as a mother and friend as Luann was, those traits could not hold a candle to her strength as a grandmother. She loved her grandchildren: David, Jackson, Mimi, Caroline and James. They gave her energy that put their parents to shame; there was not a playground slide or backyard game that she would not jump right in, even if the slides provided a good laugh for the grandkids when she got stuck. Grandmother would light up when the grandkids came over; her house was an anything goes place full of candy, ice cream and, most of all, unconditional love for them. A sleepover would very easily turn into a weekend at grandmother’s house and she would not have it any other way.

Mother’s passing is a small dark cloud in a sky full of silver linings. Although Alzheimer’s had taken its toll, it could not take away the joy that was evident in her eyes upon seeing her family or friends until the very end. She was kind enough to have taken the time to create great memories that will sustain us through this time of loss and keep her forever in that special place in our hearts that she helped create.