OREGON — A Wisconsin widow has turned her loss into a new beginning for someone else by donating her late husband’s handicap van to a fellow disabled veteran in need.
When Marilyn Grau’s husband, Lonnie, died less than two years after purchasing an accessible vehicle, she knew that she wanted to share both her husband’s legacy and his van with other disabled veterans in need. After being directed to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Wisconsin, Marilyn worked together with them to not only donate Lonnie’s van, but to tell his story.
“Not only will we get this in the hands of a veteran, but I want to tell Lonnie’s story,” Commander Jason John’s said. “The VFW wants to tell Lonnie’s story.”
LONNIE GRAU
Lonnie, born in South Dakota in 1946, served 22 months in the Vietnam war on a MUST (Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable) unit where he worked as a gas turbine engine specialist. He was honorably discharged in 1968. After his service, Lonnie returned to the states where he raised four children with his wife, Marilyn. But in 2006, he had a spinal chord injury that left him using a wheelchair for the next 13 years. He purchased a new Chrysler Pacifica in 2018. Less than two years after the purchase, Lonnie died of cancer on March 17, 2020. Marilyn, his wife of 51 years, was left with the van, which had just 1,268 miles on it. She knew that she wanted to see it go to another disabled veteran in her husband’s honor, Marilyn and Lonnie’s daughter, Robin Seavert, Albany, said. “It’s a way that hopefully a veteran can have the same independence that my dad did,” she said. Having the van gave Lonnie the opportunity to get out and go places on his own.
When the family and the VFW got in contact, and they quickly agreed that donating the van to another disabled veteran was the best way to honor Lonnie’s life. They wanted to spread the word about the van, but also Lonnie’s story. “What it means to us is to be able to share. To be able to share the legacy of one of our comrades,” Johns said. “One of our biggest missions always is to never forget. To always remember and any time we can do that and provide such an outstanding mode of independence and ability to a fellow vet, it’s a win-win.”
FINDING THE NEW HOME
Since the applications opened in October, the VFW has received a few applications, but they hope to continue spreading the word so that as many disabled veterans as possible are given the opportunity to apply for the van. The goal is to find a recipient who can receive the greatest benefit from the donation, taking into consideration both financial need and the severity of one’s disability. The VFW State Panel will take
into strong consideration the personal essays submitted by each applicant, about “why you feel you should be the recipient of the van and how you would utilize it to help improve your quality of life and independence.” “What I think we’re going to really be focused on at the end of the day is going to be that essay and telling their story and telling what it would mean to them,” Johns said. “We really want to place an importance on what it’s going to mean to that veteran to receive it. What’s going to be the most impact, what’s going to be the greatest outcome that we could have.” Interested veterans or those representing one can find the application online here.
