Lonnie Dove was rarely seen without his Bible.
The book was huge. Printed with “massive” font, Dove carried it to church, reading along with the pastor word by word. Legally blind, the 54-year-old could not find the bread or wine at Eucharist, but he could read his Bible.
“He was always with that Bible – he was carrying it when I first met him in 2015,” said Tammy Harden, a friend of Dove’s and executive director of Williamsburg nonprofit, 3e Restoration.
In the days after Dove’s body was discovered July 7 on the William & Mary campus, police found his Bible laying in his one-bedroom house, open to a chapter in the Book of Revelation, Harden said.
Still reeling from the news of Dove’s passing, the Christian and humanitarian communities in Williamsburg are remembering Dove as a beacon of hope: A man who pushed for change despite a lifetime of challenges.
At 54 years old, Dove spent his last two years bettering his life, despite fighting addiction and losing his sight. He had been sober for 16 months, living in his own home and connecting with new friends and family at church.
“I want him to be remembered for the last two years of his life, instead of the years before,” Harden said. “I saw a new person. He had tremendous hope and such a deep faith. He gave us hope.”
Taking the first step
When Dove signed a lease for a one-bedroom home in Williamsburg in January 2016, his life began to turn around.
In a Nov. 3 video, Dove describes his struggles with alcohol, homelessness, and losing his sight, explaining how he found strength through the church and new friends.
“I don’t feel alone anymore, and if I fall, I know they’ll be there to help me up,” Dove said in the November video.
Dove was the first person 3e Restoration, a Williamsburg-based nonprofit, ever housed under the Virginia Housing Trust Fund Homeless Reduction grant program. The grant covered Dove’s rent for one year.
Harden still remembers the date Dove signed the lease: Jan. 6, 2016. Dove had experienced homelessness through much of his life, and stopped drinking soon after moving into his home.
“Lonnie had his own lease with the landlord because that was empowering,” Harden said. “That was his home. He had never had a home. He was 52 years old and never had an apartment or a place to live of his own.”
His home was a source of pride for Dove. He loved cooking his own meals and cleaning. His clothes were always “ironed sharp” for church on Sunday, Harden said.
Shortly after Dove moved in to his new home, he also began attending services at the Williamsburg Christian Church, which partners with 3e Restoration to “walk with” people in need, pastor Fred Liggin IV said. Liggin also founded 3e Restoration.
“He entered into the church and quickly became a friend, and then family,” Liggin said.
Losing sight
In the months leading up to Dove’s death, the 54-year-old experienced a series of hardships that left him devastated, including being declared legally blind.
Over the last 18 months, Dove’s eyesight rapidly deteriorated, Harden said. Dove pressed on, continuing to work two days a week for a cleaning service at a local church, and volunteering with Housing Partnerships, Inc., a nonprofit providing home repairs for low-income, sick or disabled residents.
But things changed in May when Dove started receiving disability for his vision loss.
The loss of his sight devastated him, Liggin said. Receiving disability further cemented the reality that the 54-year-old, who loved to read, was becoming fully blind.
3e Restoration worked with the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services to accommodate Dove’s blindness with seeing eye dogs, braille and walking canes.
Dove had not yet received services at the time of his death.
Shortly after he got on disability, Dove also began to feel “very lonely,” Harden said, returning to alcohol.
“Lonnie wanted a home, a companion and a job, just like all of us,” Harden said. “When he realized he was going completely blind and had no companion, he was lonely.”
William & Mary Police have not reported the cause of Dove’s death, stating the Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause.
Both Liggin and Harden declined to speculate on Dove’s cause of death, stating they would rather wait until the medical examiner makes a determination, as there could be several causes. Police do not believe his death was suspicious.
Family through faith
Following his unexpected death, Dove’s friends from the Williamsburg Christian Church are remembering him for the hope and cheer he brought into their lives.
There were several occasions when Dove – knowing Liggin’s son loved apple juice – would see the juice on sale at the grocery store and buy some as a gift. Dove also spent holidays, like Easter and Christmas, with various Williamsburg Christian families.
“He knew all the ladies’ names by the type of desserts they cooked,” Harden said, laughing.
Although unlikely to admit it, Dove also had a sweet tooth in particular for pie – Liggin’s wife’s chocolate chess pie and another church member’s cherry pie were two of his favorites, Liggin said.
“One of the things Lonnie said was he knew he was never alone,” Liggin said, adding that Dove was a spiritual man who found comfort and support in God. “And loneliness is easier to deal with when you know you’re not alone.”
At church, Dove was surrounded not only by friends but by family, Liggin said.
“My new church family, they’re all wonderful and helpful,” Dove said in the November video. “They greet me with a warm welcome… I feel like I am a part of the family. I meet their wives, their kids.”
Dove’s death has left a hole in Williamsburg Christian’s congregation.
“We take the Eucharist, and the whole church comes to the table,” Liggin said. “Lonnie could always make his way up to the table, but couldn’t always find the bread and wine. Lonnie would put his hand in mine and I’d hand it to him. And I’m going to miss that.”
Fearing may be reached at [email protected].
