Lovena Gongaware

  General Notes:

Lovena left this world with 7 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, 5 great great-grandchildren.
She and her husband built the suburban Community Church near Irwin, PA. She was a volunteer at Jeannette Memorial Hospital, now Mercy Jeannette Hospital.

The following tribute was written by her granddaughter, Mary Louise King, nee Woleslagle:


"Lovena Lauffer is my grandmother. She was 50 years old when I was born and in the 50 years that I knew her here on earth, she influenced me greatly. Now she is living in heaven, and also in my heart.

Her name, Lovena, means "Look! Here's a vessel that conveys blood to the heart!" She lived up to her name by being the first person in our family line to accept Jesus as her Savior. Then, she transmitted the spiritual life that she found through the blood of Christ to many in her family, including me.

I was 8 years old whenever Grandma led me to the Lord. She was sitting beside the big picture window in her dining room, crocheting. I was sitting on the floor beside her, crying because it seemed everyone was making fun of me because of my silver tooth. Grandma told me that Jesus accepts me "Just as I am". She said that He knew all about my silver tooth and that He may be using it to lead me to Him. I didn't know that Jesus wanted my company, so I listened as Grandma helped me to invite Jesus into my heart. I asked him to forgive me of my sins and to help me be nice to people who were mistreating me.

Grandma told me that Jesus would live in my heart and His life would shine out of my life- outshining my silver tooth, if I let Him. She asked me if I could trust Him to do this. I could see how Grandma radiated with the love of Christ and I wanted the same for my life.

By using my little girl faith, I believed that Jesus lived inside me. I felt so happy for His unconditional love towards me that it just seemed natural to smile. How was the light of Christ going to shine unless I was brave to be the first to smile? I learned that people did see my silver tooth initially, but whenever I was nice to them and they felt accepted by me, they were attracted to me. This gave me a mission to light a path for others to see and understand Jesus.
From my life story, you can see that my grandma lived up to her name. She was "the vessel that conveyed faith in the blood of Christ to my heart". She made known the path to eternal life by communicating the love of Christ. Just like a vein carries blood to the heart for purification, she carried me to the heart of Christ for a new spiritual life, full of vitality.

Jesus describes Himself as "Living Water" (John 4:10; John 7:37-38). He satisfies our thirst and gives us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Grandma's life is an example. The spiritual life that she received from Jesus poured forth from within her like streams of living water into the lives of many. I'll go to heaven because of her testimony of Christ. She influenced my choice for a Christian husband. Roy and I have led our sons, Joshua and Caleb, to believe in Christ as their Savior. The effects of Grandma's life have overflowed to all the generations that follow after her.

She will always be remembered as being like cool water on a hot day, uplifting our spirits and revitalizing us through her encouragement, inspiring us to go on. She will also be remembered for the comfort she has given so many. Like warm water, she has soothed and restored many a tired soul.

Her home was known for her hospitality. I loved to go there and play with my cousins. I also liked to work for her. I'd clean her stove and range and wash down cabinets. I really liked just being in her presence. She had very gentle hands, yet they never got rough or irritated by doing dishes and hard work. She was amazing.

When I was in high school, my parents opened a store. Grandma drove me everywhere that I wanted to go. We'd go shopping together. All the time that she spent with me, she abundantly overflowed with the life of Christ. In an agreeably effortless, rhythmic way, Grandma taught me how to be like Christ. Her grace and joy covered me and gave me a safe place to mature.

Grandma will live forever because Christ's eternal life flowed into her life when she put her faith in Jesus as her Savior. Out of her life, my spiritual life began when I put my faith in Jesus as my Savior. And each person that my life influences for eternal life will be to Grandma's credit. May we all be like Grandma, giving others a cup of "Living Water". "

Mary Louise King (Daughter of Lois Jean Lauffer Woleslagle)

Lovena married Edgar Isaac Lauffer, son of Elmer Ellsworth Lauffer and Anna Elizabeth Fink, in 1922. (Edgar Isaac Lauffer was born on 9 Sep 1895, died on 23 Aug 1983 and was buried in Westmoreland Memorial Park, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.)