Thea Lunn Obituary

My last communication with Thea was a thank you note for a donation that I had made in memory of her Mom's passing in 2002. I greatly appreciated her effort as it had become difficult for her to write by then. My Dad, Bill Migon (passed in 2001), was Thea's godfather and always kept her in his thoughts and prayers. He cried all night when she was diagnosed with MS. When I had occasion to talk with her on the phone, she expressed how blessed she felt irregardless of her health challenge. She was an inspiration for me in coping with a chronic illness. I have always been fond of Thea though we rarely got together as I lived in Florida for most of my adult life. In my heart I knew that she was nearing her journey here, but did not know how to gracefully inquire. My sister,Tonia, had an email contact to which Don responded with the sad news.
Thea lives on in our hearts and I believe that we may meet again in the Light. Some of that Light permeated her and shines on.
Don, you were her knight in shining armor as she was your dearest love.

Thea and my mother, June Gould, became friends when they were students at the Art Institute. My mother thought the world of her. Over the years, I have always been struck by what an incredibley brave person she was. Many in her shoes would have given up on life and hidden themselves away, but not Thea - she seemed the embodiment of a life force. The last time I saw her was in July at what would be my mother's last birthday party. She was so kind and encouraging, even as she was so weak herself. My main thought that day and always was what a truly beautiful person she was, both inside and out.

Please know, Don, that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thea was a close friend of my mother June Gould. When my mother was dying of cancer late last summer, Thea stuck by her and offerred all kinds of encouragement. I only interacted with her briefly, but I will always remember her strength and loyalty.

Thea was a friend of my parents, Dr. Samuel and June Gould. I did not know Thea well personally: I only met her a few times, but her courage and kindness made an impression on me despite the briefness of our encounters. Our mutual breast cancer doctor, Dr. Philip Hoffman, told me he had heard Thea had died. After my own struggle with breast cancer, Thea emailed me to see how I - an almost complete stranger to her - was doing. She was a good soul! Phyllis Gould

Thea was my hero for a long, long time. Since our childhood, she impressed me with her talent, bravery and brainpower.

As youngsters, masked by our imaginary adventurer identities of Jeff (Thea) and Steve (me) we took on and defeated every imaginary menace that ever threatened the earth. It is plain to see that Thea's bravery was cultivated even back then as an eight year old!

We engineered the design of an entire city within the large clumps of bushes at the edge of Humboldt Park, fashioning tunnels that led to secret rooms well within these bush clusters. She identified hiding places so clever that we could leave all our valuable playthings there when we went home each evening, with no fear of others finding them.

Over the years Thea's creativity, bravery and brainpower grew and grew. She was an honor student and excelled at many academic subjects. She became a wonderful artist and loved to write. She also found time for everyday activities like baseball and monopoly. She loved plants and flowers and built a collection of cacti and succulents. She was beautiful and did a great job of showing off the designer dresses our mother created for her.

Thea was no pushover. She had strong political opinions and regularly advocated for the underdog. She was fun to argue with because she always supported her point of view with logic and passion.

Only later…. in her early 30's the real test of her bravery and creativity began to emerge in the form of Multiple Sclerosis. For the next 25 years Thea battled MS by engaging multiple doctors and medications and augmenting her mobility by using canes, stair lifts and scooters. She succeeded admirably and was able see friends and family, create wonderful works of art and enjoy writing.

Seven years ago, though, MS took a greater toll. Thea began to lose the ability to control the muscles in her legs to the extent she became limited to using the automated scooter. Painting and handwriting became nearly impossible. These difficulties did not stop her. Since handwriting was a problem, she turned to the computer keyboard to communicate with all of us. Her husband Don designed a scooter-height kitchen arrangement so she could cook her favorite recipes. When my wife Susan and I joined her for a final Thanksgiving dinner at her home she seemed to be saying goodbye.

Courageous to the end, Thea did not allow MS to stop her from taking a final vacation with her husband Don to Buenos Aires Argentina, a city they loved. My life will always be brighter and my problems will always seem smaller after seeing how Thea coped with life and its adversities.

I don't have much that I can say with words. I know how I feel about Thea; how I felt the day she died. Even when things were looking their worst there was no doubt in my mind that everything would be fine. Only now do I realize how naive that was.

As I write this I can't believe she's gone. A part of me will never believe that she's gone; the rest of me will miss her.

I've found that explaining an emotion is next to impossible. I can't even begin to gather my feelings. I know that I loved her and that I will miss her.

She was my aunt and my godmother.

We were neighbors of the Lunns on Central Park Ave. The Horan Family wish to express our condolences on the passing of Thea.

Thea was the angel that hired me as Secretary to Jim back in 1983. Thea always looked for the good in people. She was there when I needed encouragement and direction, and would always make a bad situation look better. Although, I have not seen Thea in years, I often think of her and the positive impact she had on my life. The world has truly lost one of its brightest stars.

Donnie called me the other day to tell me that Thea died. I picked up the message several days after he left it. He started out saying who he is and that he was going through Thea’s phone book. That’s when I knew that she’d died because that’s what happened when my sister and my father died: Someone has to go through the phone book and let people know. But when he said it I couldn’t believe it. I was devastated. I hadn’t seen Thea in quite awhile but in the last few days I’d found myself talking like Gumby: using a little tiny voice saying “ohhhh, noooo.” I did it several times. First, right after the New Year when I was staying with friends. One of them laughed when I did it. And I did it again when I was ending an interview on January 8th, which was the day before Thea died. The person that I was interviewing laughed, too. That second time, it occurred to me that it was something that Thea used to do. Using a high little voice that Gumby uses and saying “ohh, noo.” I used to think she was weird when she did it. And I never laughed. But in the last few days, when I did it, I thought it was funny. I finally saw the humor. And the day I heard Donnie’s message I looked at a coffee server that Thea had bought Jim Lowry when she worked for him (and impacted his life for the better). I’d always loved that piece and I took it with me when Jim and I separated. So, today I saw it and I moved it to a shelf behind a clear window so that it could be seen and appreciated. As I did, I thought about its clean lines and saw that it was as modern and sleek as I always believed it to be.

I’m writing all of this because these thoughts and actions all occurred before I heard Donnie’s message. I’d been thinking about my Thea and now she’s gone.

That beautiful, beautiful woman. I love you, honey, and I’m sorry I never told you.

We knew Thea through her sister, Evelyn. The few times we met her, she was a lovely warm person.

Our thoughts go out to you Evelyn. Your love and caring for her was always evident. How lucky to have such a special sister.

My sister Thea was a truly brave person. She did not give up without a fight. From crutches to a walker to a scooter she kept going. Even after multiple sclerosis had robbed her of the ability to walk she considered herself lucky. Why? She had married the man she adored, Don Klugman, she had enjoyed creating works of art throughout her lifetime and she loved and was loved by family and friends. Her mind stayed active and we enjoyed discussing books, music and movies. MS, an insidious disease, has claimed another victim. The void left by my sister’s death will never be filled but all who knew her are fortunate to have known a wise, wonderful woman with a beautiful soul.

I knew Thea Lunn as Dorothy when we both went to Roosevelt High School. My thoughts of her, though they are from many years ago, was that she was soft spoken and cared for people. Even though I haven't seen her since we graduated from Roosevelt, she was always a special young women. I'm sorry for your loss. Linda Novak

Sorry for your loss, Don. Know you were a most devoted spouse and how you will miss Thea. You are in my thoughts.

i do not know you from this life, but your spirit has touched me. thank you for listing the song "tis a Gift to be Simple." it was a truly amazing experience for me to listen to at a time that couldn't have been better. God bless you dear lady.

Thea,
You are my memory, my shadow, and my mirror. Love to you always.
XXOO