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In late summer of 1971, teenager Vicki Wilson was on vacation with her parents and a friend in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
One night, while walking back to their motel from an outdoor concert, Vicki and her friend stopped to talk to two young men on motorcycles. After a short time, the four went their separate ways, none the wiser about what the future would hold.
Eleven years after that chance meeting, Vicki married Michael J. Lundy — better known as Mike — and she’d not given much thought to that random encounter.
Years later, she was discussing a planned vacation to Gatlinburg, telling Lundy she hadn’t been there since 1971. Lundy said he’d been there that year as well. Not long after, a light bulb went off in his memory.
“Were you walking back to the Alpine Motel, wearing a fringed jacket?” he asked.
That random encounter became a 37-year marriage filled with laughs, love and service to his community — and most importantly, many say — to veterans.
Lundy, 67, died on Dec. 22 at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau.
“He once told her that he wished he could turn back time and meet [Vicki] earlier in life, so he could love her that much longer,” said Kate Martin, who delivered the eulogy at Lundy’s funeral Dec. 28 and shared the story of the couple’s first meeting. “They were truly one another’s destiny.”
A fan of classic cars, motorcycles and The Beatles, Lundy, a Perryville native, was also a staunch supporter of veterans. Although he never served in the military, Lundy saw it as almost a duty to support veterans’ causes in any way he could, fulfilling a promise made to his father, Joe Lundy, a Marine who fought in World War II. Joe was also well known for his own contributions to his community.
“Mike had a passion for whatever he did, and veterans were important to him,” said Vicki, who was by Lundy’s side throughout most of his service to veterans. “He wanted to honor veterans. When Mike’s dad passed away, he told Mike, ‘If there is ever a time you can do something for a veteran, do it.’ Maybe this is what Mike says to the community, if someone can do something to help a veteran, then do it.”
In the past, Lundy served as a driving force behind the Perry County Military Museum, the Perry County Veterans Wall of Honor at City Park, the 2014 visit by the Wall That Heals Traveling Vietnam Memorial, and the celebration of Perry County’s Korean War veterans.
More recently, he worked to organize the board that constructed Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial with its full-sized exact replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with planning the Wall2Wall Ride that traveled from Washington to Perryville carrying the flags from the original memorial to the MNVM site.
In 2018, Lundy, who served as commander of the Perryville Sons of the American Legion, was also instrumental in pushing for Perryville to gain recognition as a Purple Heart City. His efforts netted a proclamation from Perryville Mayor Ken Baer and a commitment from the city to place signs denoting its status.
“I’m really proud that the Sons of the American Legion are sponsoring this this year,” Lundy said during the Veterans Day ceremony that year. “We want these signs to be posted throughout our community to let people know that we’re proud of our veterans, to let people know that Perryville will stand up and take care of veterans and their families, and I just hope that when you see these, you’ll remember the sacrifices these veterans made.”
Those who knew Lundy were not surprised by his dedication and effort.
“Mike had such commitment,” said Mike Phillips of Lohman, who retired from the U.S. Army before serving as the former commander of American Legion Post 133 in Perryville. “Once Mike Lundy was in, he was in. He had a 100 percent commitment. Mike was able to do a lot of things in the community and be of value. He was always about that.”
And he was never shy about asking for help or expecting others to do their share.
“Mike was always good to volunteer me for stuff,” said Paul Gard, a friend and fellow MNVM board member. “Mike was very passionate about the community and especially passionate about anything that has to do with veterans. He always tried to get people to work together to accomplish good things.”
That skill often impressed those Lundy met and worked with, including retired U.S. Army Gen. Frank Grass of Columbia, who first met Lundy when he was invited to speak during the visit of the Vietnam Traveling Wall. He then had opportunities to visit with Lundy at other speaking engagements in Perryville — the commemoration of the Korean War and a candlelight vigil at the MNVM campus.
Grass said he was always impressed by how Lundy would get an idea, get some people to take off with it, and make sure it happened.
“He was a real go-getter,” Grass said.
Lundy’s latest project was the Missouri Veterans Hall of Fame. The group’s board is scheduled to meet later this week, and Lundy had plans to attend.
Days before Lundy died, Grass said, Lundy sent out an email explaining he had complications with his cancer treatment but thought he could still make the Jan. 10 meeting.
“Mike was the horsepower behind the group trying to create a new recognition for veterans,” said Grass, who sent him a note back on Dec. 19 saying, “Mike, hope you are getting better, you inspire me given the health challenges you are working through and you continue to stay engaged to recognize others.”
“I never heard back from him,” Grass said.
Before he died, Vicki, who plans to stay active with the Perry County Military History Museum and the Wall of Honor, made a promise of her own, telling Lundy that she would make sure that the board would continue with his final project. She also said she hopes someone will step up and take command of the Sons of the American Legion and continue the projects that Mike started, including the annual raffle, chicken dance and Flags of Our Fathers.
Based on past experience, whoever does will have big shoes to fill.
“[Lundy] was the one who had the faith,” said Martin in her eulogy. “He never doubted for a moment that the money could be raised, that the permits would be granted, that the volunteers would arrive. He was the one who would pick up the phone and get seven strangers in a room and tell us why we were the perfect team to accomplish whatever task he put before us.”
Lundy was born May 22, 1952, in Perryville to Joseph and Viola (Buchheit) Lundy.
He and Vicki were married Nov. 11, 1982, in Mounds, Ill. She survives in Perryville.
Aside from his work for veterans, Lundy retired from a 25-year career in corrections as the assistant warden of the Potosi Correctional Center. In addition to the Sons of the American Legion, Lundy was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, the past president of the Perry County Military History Museum and the Missouri National Veterans Memorial board of directors and was a member of the Show-Me-Vettes Corvette club.
He is survived by his daughter, Michelle (John) Howard of Little Rock, Ark.; two sons, Chuck (Michelle) Durham of Olympia, Wash., and Michael “Bo” Lundy of Little Rock; his mother-in-law, Louise Wilson; four sisters, Mary (Chris) Brewer of Cape Girardeau, Patrice (Orville) Baer, Carol (Dwain) Rhyne and Ann (John) Kirsch, all of Perryville; two brothers, Mark (Janice) Lundy and John (Karen) Lundy, all of Perryville; eight grandchildren, Matthew and Madison Howard, Emily and Kristopher Lundy, Grey and Tripp Durham, Lauren Howard, and Alisha (Adam) Higgins; and one great grandchild, Avery Higgins, along with 11 nieces, five nephews, and his beloved dog, Buddy.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
His friends and colleagues say Lundy will definitely be missed.
“He was so dedicated to veterans and to the community,” Grass said, “and to Perryville, and the whole state of Missouri in recognizing veterans and their service.”
