Support for Greg Lonning's Family

We are devastated and heartbroken at the sudden and unexpected loss of the beloved Greg Lonning. On March 3rd, he suffered a brain aneurysm. Doctors tried everything to save him, but the damage was fatal. He was on life support until March 8th, when he went to his Heavenly home. He was a giver who touched lives with genuine compassion, a positive spirit, and endless energy. In true Greg fashion, he continues to give through organ donation.

His wife, Kealy, of 37 years and six children: Connor, Moran, Gable, Gara, Summer, and Shanae, are trying to process this tragic loss. Together, Greg and Kealy raised four biological kids but had more love to give, so they adopted two beautiful daughters whom Kealy is left to raise by herself.

Unfortunately, Greg’s life insurance policy recently expired. He was already a health insurance agent and was in the process of adding life insurance as an option for his clients. In fact, the day before his aneurysm, he told Kealy he was going to take out a new life insurance policy on himself. Due to the devastating timing, that plan never came to fruition, leaving Kealy with unfathomable financial strain.

If you knew Greg as a friend, coach, professor, mentor, relative, or neighbor, then you were blessed! He was the ultimate motivator, super dad, jackpot husband, neighborhood hero, baby whisperer, fervent leader, servant of faith, indeed an angel on Earth. The lives he has impacted are immeasurable and felt across the nation because Greg made time for and helped anyone and everyone he met.

His qualities extended beyond family and friends; he was ‘the king of the mat’. Greg was a dedicated and gritty national champion, hall of fame coach, and one of the Iowa Conference's most decorated wrestlers of all time. His skills, knowledge, and passion molded not only great athletes but even greater people. His legacy lives on in wrestling programs and families across the country.

Above all, Greg was a man of undeniable faith. He attended daily Mass and prayed the rosary throughout each day. He was a servant to his communities and acted on God’s word. It is impossible to condense the amount of selfless love he poured into others, but the photos below speak volumes of the legacy Greg left in every avenue of his life. If anyone had a straight path to Heaven, it was undoubtedly him. We are all better humans because he loved us.

Any contributions to this incredible family would help ease their financial hardships and allow Kealy to give Summer and Shanae the childhood she and Greg desired for them.

Greg’s Hall of Fame Speech 2017