Audrey "A.V." Luna

A.V. (Audrey Van) Luna, 82, of Hamlet, died at 12:46 p.m. Thursday, July 16, 2015, surrounded by family, at Pilgrim Manor, Plymouth, Indiana, where for five years he was lovingly cared for. A.V. was born on April 4, 1933, to Van and Effie (Sullivan) Luna in Walnut, Mississippi. After graduating from Walnut High School in 1951, he went to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority. While traveling for the TVA from town to town throughout the South, he said, "I met the prettiest girl I ever saw," Bonnie Morris of Princeton, Kentucky. They were married February 27, 1953, in Walnut, Mississippi. In 1955 they moved to northwest Indiana, where A.V. went to work for Youngstown Steel in East Chicago. After 29 years, he accepted LTV's offer for early retirement in 1984. They moved to Hamlet in 1976 and owned and operated the Wildwood Motel for many years. A.V. attended the First Baptist Church, Knox. "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8. The family would like to express deep, heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Pilgrim Manor for their unsurpassable, compassionate care they gave to A.V., treating him like a member of their own families. Survivors include wife Bonnie Luna, Hamlet; daughters Janie (Bill) Capps, Monterey, Tennessee; Marilyn Miller, Cookeville, Tennessee; Patty (Phil) Shaffer, Lakeville; son Bill (Teri) Luna, Portage; daughter-in-law Joy Luna, South Bend; grandchildren Jennifer Biss, Scott Caldwell, Craig Capps, Mindy Kalch, Laurie Luna, Chris Luna, Tommy Luna, Heather Miller, Katie Miller, Eric Shaffer and Chelsea Shaffer; nine great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. A.V. was preceded in death by son Jim Luna and sister Christine Eubanks. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. (central time) Tuesday, July 21, at Rannells Funeral Home, Hamlet Chapel, with visitation an hour before the service and from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, July 20. Burial will take place at Fletcher Cemetery, Hamlet. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church, Knox; Parkinson's Disease Foundation; or the American Heart Association.