Nathan William Lahey

Still think of you, Nathan! You are missed!
RIP brother
Tonya T.

It's been 11 years now since your passing Nathan & there is still a pain in my heart when this anniversary comes around. Rest in peace my friend & brother until we meet again. I'll bring the Guinness & boccee balls!

I just happened to come across this very sad tragedy. I was very good friends with the family and served altar for Father Lahey in the early '60's. My sincere belated condolences.

Nathan i think of you, Ronda, Sanna & Julia almost daily. I miss you very much & pray that we meet again someday.

Nathan,
You ain't heavy.
You're my brother.
I love you.

Ronda, since learning of Nathan's passing you and your girls have been in our hearts and prayers.

May he rest in peace, and rise at the glorious coming of Our Lord.

Ronda, Our deepest sympathies to you and your beautiful daughters Julia and Sanna. We never had the good fortune of meeting Nathan but it's clear from the many tributes that he was one in a million. I'm keeping you, your daughters and the family in our prayers during your time of mourning. May you find comfort in the realization that Nathan secured his final address and has entered into the presence of his Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Love to all, Kimberly, Frank, Louie, Frank II and Joseph DeDonatis

We first met Nathan three years ago in a small cinderblock room which served as our church each Sunday morning. He was elected senior warden shortly thereafter and I learned forthwith how vast was his knowledge and how dedicated he was to our Lord Jesus Christ. We grew to love Nathan by his very presence and that angelic cherubic face shone brightly while his sonorous voice resounded through that little room whenever he read the scriptures.I would wheel out the sandwichboard sign he made when we set up church and back it went at its conclusion. His contributions to our little church were neverending as he would bring us whatever he could procure to make our church more honoring to the Lord : brass candlesticks, candle lighters, prayer books, an Anglican flag,our processional cross, to name a few. In short, Nathan was a church in and of himself. He planted church signs at vital intersections throughout Port Charlotte to guide the lost to salvation; he guided us in our studies about the Anglican Catholic Church. Nathan was our leader for church service people, i.e. morning prayer readers and acolytes. To say that Nathan was central to Trinity Anglican Church would be a modest tribute indeed. The Holy Spirit dwelled within this man and he passed it directly to the rest of us. Can one give a higher tribute than that?

I served as an acolyte for Father Lahey before he passed several years ago and had the honor of serving with Nathan many times. I remember him as a very kind person-also funny. He was ten years older than me, i guess i knew him when i was between 10 to 17years old. I remember he had the same eyes as his father and he always had a mustache(he kinda looked like jesus to me) His father was awesome and had a huge impact on my life and the one thing that puts a little smile on my face through this tragedy is that nathan and his dad are noe reunited. I am very sorry for your loss and my prayers are with you all. Ryan Plummer

What a shock. Nathan has been a frequent and valued contributor to the Anglican Diaspora message board (where I am a moderator). His posts have always challenged the readers and will be sincerely missed. May he rest secure with the Christ he loved.

Nathan, thank you for all the memories at lake Killarney, and all you did for mom and Jimmy, I am so glad I got to meet Ronda at Joy's wedding and please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God Bless, you are truly one in a million!!!

Ronda, Sanna and Julia, We are so sorry for you loss. Always remember how much Nathan loved you all. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. We will remember that wonderful smile that would light up the room when he walked in. Our prayers and thoughts will be with you always...Love you...Harry and Diana

Nathan, Your service was an appropriate and beautiful goodbye for a wonderful friend and genuinely fabulous human being. We will all miss you more than we could have ever dreamed. My thoughts and prayers will be with your family and friends in the days, weeks, and months to come. You will be in my heart always. Love you Nate, Lynn Hemp

Dear Ronda, Sanna, Julia, and all the Lahey Family, My thoughts and prayers are with you. I was saddened by the news of Nathan's passing. May you find peace and comfort in the memories of your lives together. God Bless you each and everyone.

Love,
Margery Lahey (Uncle Dick's Wife)

Char, I'm glad I ran into you today and we could chat. I admire your strength in the face of adversity. I am also glad I had the opportunity to meet Nathan's beautiful wife. All of you are in my thoughts, and as I said today, MANY others as well. He will not be forgotten!

You will be terribly missed as an active member of the Rowlett Magnet Elementary School volunteers. Specifically, I will miss all of your dedication to helping families in need within our school community. We are grateful for all of your time and are blessed for having known you.

May God continue to bless your family with the love you shared with them.

Millie Kelly
Lakewood Ranch, Florida

Heartfelt sympathies to those who knew and loved Nathan.
God speed...

Thank you for always making us laugh. Now you'll be making all of your fellow angels laugh. It's hard to believe so many of us just saw you at the reunion. You are so loved and you'll be sorely missed. God bless your family, especially your wife and children. Until we meet again . . .

Nathan was a childhood friend and we hung out together in the youth group at St Paul;s Episcopal Church called the Omega. His older brother Daniel was the cooridinator of the group, and we had so much fun. I lost contact of Nathan after he joined the Marines. I have always thought of Nathan over the years. I send prayers and blessings to his family.

You will be missed my friend. God Bless your family.

Theresa McCullough Lucas

May the Lord welcome Nathan into His presence while we mourn, reflect and give thanks. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Nathan, there is definitely a hole in my heart and in the world since you left. I am so thankful to have known you, to have had the recent time with you at our reunion, all the great conversations we've shared since the inception of Facebook, and most of all for the comfort of knowing that you are safely in the loving arms of our creator celebrating your amazing life. I know that you are being rewarded for your immense and undying faith to Him, to your precious wife and daughters and to your country. You were always such a shining light of an example to follow and you will continue to be until we meet again. Your strong convictions and your wit are some of the things that I hope to share with your girls when they're a little older. We will all make sure that they know what an amazing human being their daddy was.
Love and miss you,
Tonya
P.S. And, thank you for all of the child rearing advice, especially the most recent, when you told me to buy a whole bunch of firecrackers for the boys and they would forget all about the other problem they had. As always, great advice! Thank you.

Nathan was such a light-hearted person. I am grateful for the time I had getting to know him during the Lake Killarney days. I remember his lack of interest in sunscreen. Always a rosy red cheeked smile... Blessings to his beautiful family. Blessings to his soul during this time of transition. Peace, Cindy (Sanger) Esselstyn - Asheville, NC

The Nathan I knew, all too briefly, was one of the most affable fellas you'd ever want to meet. Always ready to chat about just about anything, and especially his family and his church. I'll remember that ready smile that was always on his face. My condolences to Ronda and Julia and Sanna and the rest of the family.

Nate and I served together as acolytes, master acolytes, subdeacons and acolyte to the rector in the '70s and '80s under his dad. I am so saddened by his sudden death at such a young age and wish I could be in Winter Haven this weekend!

One memory I have is at Christmas Midnight Mass in the old church, when we looked up above the sacristy in what we called the "upper room" and saw a shadow pass along the windows. Nobody was up there, or was supposed to be up there during services.

Occasionally I would stop in downtown Orlando on my way from Gainesville or Jacksonville to visit my parents, and have a pint at the Irish pub where Nate worked.

May the peace that passes all understanding be amongst you and stay with you always.

Nathan I can't begin to count the ways I will miss you. From our first meeting in Winter Haven to lake Killarney days to your home in Bradenton. I always so enjoyed being in your presence. You were a great friend and I will you so.

Nathan, I only saw you a few times after high school but the memories of your humor in the WHHS weight room have never been forgotten. Your light still burns bright in my memory.

I remember Nathan as always having a smile, or something funny to say, usually a little corny, but still funny. Nathan is my cousin. I remember some of the first words that came out of his mouth, "Airbane up dur", (Airplane up there), as he pointed up in the sky. He was a cute kid and grew up to be a friend, even though we were 8 years apart. Ronda was such a welcome addition to the family. It saddens me that his little girls will never really get to know what kind of man their father was. I'm sure that my deseased Aunt & Uncle, Julia & Bill, are happy to have him again but, for the rest of us, we will have to wait.

My heart goes out to Ronda and the girls. Nathan was loved by all who knew him. I was fortunate enough to reconnect with Nathan since I moved back to Florida. He was such a delight and so much fun to be around. His face lit up when he spoke about Ronda, Julia and Sunni. He was so proud of his beautiful family. Take comfort knowing he is with our Lord and watching over you with love.

A boy of whit and charm, I knew you not as man. Yet,I've heard the measurement of a man is the respect and love of the friends and family that he leaves behind. By this I know that Nathan lived as a man as he was as a boy.

Nate,
The 15+ years we all lived with you on Lake Killarney were some of the best years in our lives.
When we needed advice, you always had the right answer, when we needed a smile, you would make us laugh, when we needed a friend, you were always there, your door was always open.
Images forever remain of your old alligator canoe, the beer fridge on your back porch, your famous Christmas brew, the "Perfect Pint" sailboat, the hillarious hats, late night darts and horseshoes, the bonfires and crawfish, listening to you yell at the tv baseball umps, your alarm clock going off for hours and then watching it fly out your bedroom window, the classic jokes and words of wisdom from the smartest funny guy we have ever known.
We will never forget you and all the wonderful memories you gave us.

Nathan, I have so many wonderful memories of you! You were such a joy to all who knew you. When you first came to St. Paul's in 4th grade, all the girls were in love with you! But we learned right away how sweet and funny you were! You are the roller coaster king! I'll never forget that night after Jason's closed down we went down to highway 17 and climbed the water tower and talked about life. I'll always remember.... I am so sorry for this loss for your family.
With love,
Deborah Kaylor Trueheart

Nathan you have touched so many of us,you will be missed by many. Im very thankful for meeting you and your girls. You will be missed by all of us at Albertsons. My god bless and your Family.

Nate it has been my pleasure to have known you. You will be missed deeply my friend have a awesome ride into the Eternal Sunset my brother! You shall not be forgotten.

I pray for peace for the family and all of the people whose lives he touched. His humor as well as his infectious laugh will be missed by all.

God bless to everyone who loved Nathan, especially his wife and kids. We were all blessed to have loved him, and shared a life in this world with him..We will see you again my friend..

For Nathan

My thoughts and prayers for Nathan's family. Nathan was well loved and made an impression on every life he touched.
In loving remembrance,
Candy Daniels

My deepest sympathy to Ronda and the girls. Nathan was a good friend to everyone and was so proud of his beautiful family. May God comfort you and the Lahey family at this difficult time. A member of the WHHS Class of 1980 -

Since Rhonda and possibly "the girls" will be reading this one day...I want you all to know that your dad was a man with a talent for wit, profound thinking, a touch of adventure and not one hint of ego. Rhonda, you are a special woman. How do I know? Nathan married you. Senna and Julia? He loved you too like crazy. He posted pictures of you both and told the best stories about ballet and funny things you two would say. Well..I'm getting teary eyed, so I'll close now. But your dad's memory will live on in our hearts for a very long time. Do him proud.

So many memories bring smiles through tears....I remember Nathan and his family moving to Winter Haven and becoming part of the St. Paul's family. I then realize how long he was part of my childhood having gone to school with him through Troy State. I haven't seen him for twenty years and yet I feel our world has lost so much.
May God give you strength and peace.

My prayers for God's everlasting comfort and peace for each of Nathan's family members.
love,
Tara Bartholomew

Nathan, everybody loves you because you loved everybody. You walked the walk my friend. Your legacy lives in every person you touched.

Nathan, what a great friend you were to many around you. Thanks again for your friendship and the many laughs that you shared. God Bless you and your missed, but not forgotten

My sympathies & condolences go out to those Nathan left behind.Dan said it all very well.Proud to have shared a laugh or 2 with you,my friend,you'll be missed...Frisco

We must think of life as a journey. Let us think of ways in which we can make the journey more pleasant for others as well as ourselves. Remember that life's journey is good, it is thrilling & it can be made beautiful if we do our part.

Nathan, you've made life an enjoyable journey to travel! Thank you for your smile, your humor, faith, honesty, & love that touched our lives each time we were in your company. You'll forever be missed, but never forgotten!

Nathan was truly one of the best human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

Bob and I were grieved to hear of your loss.

I remember Nathan as a young boy when Fr. Lahey first came to St. Paul's. I sent a link to my sister (Freda Mach Yoakam) who is now living in Oregon with husband, Greg.

You will be in our thoughts and prayers during this time of sorry. I am sure that your strong faith will lift you up and carry you through.

And Nathan, be sure and say Hi to my Mom who just passed away this past September.

You will be in our prayers, may God offer you the strength to make it through this difficult time. Nathan was a wonderful man, he will be greatly missed.

I think Dan captured all our thoughts very well. We will miss you greatly, Nathan.

Ronda- Nathan was a special person... the few times I was around him, his love for you and the girls radiated from him. May your hearts be filled with wonderful memories of happy times together and the love and support of family and friends sustain you through this time....We are thinking of you and praying for you and your sweet girls. Love to you all, Mike & Margie Riley

I cannot imagine anyone uttering his name and not smiling even through the tears. Imagine Nate & God in heaven laughing until the cry as they rewind his life. Gone to soon.

On Sunday we learned the tragic news of your passing.
Our worlds stopped, and we retreated into our private disbelief.
We thought we were steeling ourselves against the inevitable litany of tasks at hand.
There were hugs, and kind words, and food, all so dearly appreciated.
Then came the understanding that the Holy Spirit, our wonderful God, was with us all.
We found that therein was our strength.
On Monday it rained.
The earth wept at your loss.
Grief drenched your house and puddled in your yard, and street, and footprints.
Yet as we cried, above it all, the sun in his mighty splendour was pouring out heaven’s rejoicing upon the clouds.
And sacred consolation began to drink up every tear.
So we understand that through the love of Jesus Christ we, too, will grieve and be comforted and rejoice.

Nathan was a master of the art of knucklehead. Few are so wealthy with the gift of spontaneous random humor. God’s instrument of mirth; and he could hang with anybody.
Nathan was a serious and devout Christian whose faith could humble saints. As do we all, he fought the valiant battle to defeat his own demons, and to love and serve others. One must reflect that if we, in our imperfection, could love him so, how much greater is the love of God?

So let us resolve to pray for him, and quote him, and toast him, and tell his jokes. Let us never forget him…as though that were possible.

My thoughts are with you & your beautiful daughters Rhonda. Nathan was such a great guy & I will always have fond memories of all the fun we all had on Lake Killarney. God Bless you & your family.

Our thoughts and prayer to the Lahey family, Rhonda, Sanna and Julia. May God bless you and look over you. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers.

"Rhonda I am so sorry for yours and your children's loss, Nathan was a great man with a love for life. Anyone who had the pleasure of his company knows this. I am so sorry that we will all miss out on all the joy that Nathan had left to offer. I will be praying for you and your family." Christine Lovato

Nathan, my brother and friend; My life is significantly better having known you. Thank you for the great times we had together over the years. There is a hole in my life now without you.

And so it goes...

We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Memories of Nathan will always bring a smile.
Jeff Marquardt and family (Nokomis FL.)

Nathan was a great friend to Barry & George and the McNamee's will miss him & his sense of humor very much. God Bless your family at this time.

Will miss you very much... Kelly Rynerson