Lonnie Jack Jordan Ill was born April 23, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the 3rd living child to Mae (Hamilton) Jordan and Lonnie Jack Jordan, Jr. When Lonnie was 14, the Jordan family relocated to Waterloo, when his father came to serve as Pastor of Union Baptist Church. Soon after, Lonnie received his calling into the ministry and began his preaching and teaching to upbuild the Kingdom Of God. 

Lonnie married Easter Bradford in 1959. After their divorce, he became the single parent of their eight children, In 1974 a pretty lady said to him, "I'll take your 8 if you take my 4' and a new love journey began as he married Francis Davis, uniting their family to 12. Shortly after another son, Terrell was born, moving the number to 13. An additional daughter, Tanara, extended the family tree to 14. October 3rd would have marked a 52 year celebration of this union. What a blessing. 

Lonnie attended the Waterloo Schools. He participated in wrestling, football and track where there are still awards and recognitions of his record breaking skills. He went on to receive certifications from the Wartburg Theological Seminary and sat under the teachings of his father and many other theologians and great men of the Gospel. 

Lonnie was employed at Chamberlain Manufacturing Company. He always shared how he was told he'd be "nothing more than a janitor." He talked about how he would ask lots of questions about how to run the various machinery in the plant, One day when they were low on personnel, guess who they called? He stepped in, ran the machine and eventually became a 1st class machinist prior to leaving the company.

 During the time he was working at Chamberlains, God's work did not go lax. Lonnie served as Interim Pastor at Antioch Baptist Church, he served as Interim Pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids and eventually was called to Pastor there, serving for 17 years. Additionally, he served in the Eastern District Association and in the Iowa Missionary Educational Baptist Convention where he became President. 

Thinking that he was retiring from Pastoring, God said, "Not so." Lonnie came to the aid of Pastor Daniel Phillips during his illness and served as Pastor of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church from 2009 - 2012 following the passing of Pastor Phillips. Lonnie created the mantra "The Church of Love, Hope and New Beginnings and we're proud that they continue that motto even today. Lonnie retired "again" in 2012 due to illness.

 Aside from loving God and his family, Lonnie loved bowling and was on several bowling teams. He was a diehard fisherman hitting the riverbank whenever he could. He especially loved the yearly fishing trip with the family. Cooking was his specialty. He was always creating something different, but was especially known for his enchiladas. Skilled with his hands he was often found using his carpentry skills to build something. The kids say, "he was really good at making paddles."

Lonnie leaves such a legacy of his love for Christ and love for not only his own kids but everybody's kids. His house was always full of not only his own but so many others.

He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife, Francis, 3 sons; Tyrone Davis, of Waterloo, Jermaine Jordan of Indianapolis, IN, and Terrell (Autumn) Jordan, Of Cedar Rapids, IA. 6 daughters, Margaret Williams, and Yolanda Oliver of Minneapolis, MN, Jean'ne (Charles) Jones of Omaha, NE, Toi (Patrick) Wilder of Waterloo, Tera (Bruce) Paige of San Antonio, TX and Tanara (Marshall) Wade of Anderson, IN. 6 Brothers: Lonnis (Debra) Jordan of Savannah, GA, Lontavius (Monisha), Lamont & Troy Starks all of Waterloo, Leonard (Ursula) Holmes of Dallas, TX and Antonius Jordan of Houston, TX. 8 sisters: Rev. Helen Walker of Indianapolis, IN, Sharrie (Charles) Wright, Nichelle Wright, Shari Jordan, La Tia Jordan, Toyia Hunter, Sheryl Holmes, Lynnette Winters all of Waterloo. 60 Grandchildren, 74 Great Grandchildren. 3 Great Great Grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Several Godchildren and 2 bonus sons: Rev. Patrick Strait and Bryant Williams. 

He is preceded in death by: His parents, five sons, Lonnie Jordan IV, Mark, Maurice, Jeremy Jordan and Timmy Davis. One Grandson, Kavonne, one great grandson Cion Jordan, one brother, Clarence, one sister, Mildred Morgan, and one son-in-law, Thane Oliver.