Sylvia Hustava

Born in Franklin, North Carolina on October 12, l934 to James F. and Mildred Woods Renshaw, I was raised primarily in Asheville, North Carolina, graduating from Lee H. Edwards High, now Asheville High School, in 1952 after attending eleven different schools in twelve years. My father was a forester and kept advancing in his job, and I lived in Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Idaho and North Carolina.

I attended Nursing School at Chapel Hill, North Carolina for three years and two summers, marrying in 1953, after my first year and lacking nine months until graduation; we moved to Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1956.

Four sons were born during my first marriage to Robert L. Minteer Sr. After being widowed in 1963 for two years, I married Frank Hustava, a widower with two sons and two daughters; we had a son and daughter. I enjoyed children which was good as I had ten children at age 33; we moved to Montana in 1973.

Having received a degree from Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, in 1989 in Society and Technology, I have spent my life doing volunteer work in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod and in the community with several organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, Hospital Pink Ladies, New Hope Crisis Pregnancy Center and the Literacy Program.

During those years, I also did mission work in Missouri, Illinois, Panama, Mexico, Kansas and Montana thru our church and went for Missionary training to the Czech Republic and taught English As a Second Language in China with Christian Outreach International. I enjoy playing tennis, ringing handbells, singing in choirs and choral groups, crocheting and reading and have taken many adult education classes. I am a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Butte, Montana where I was on many committees, attended Bible studies and Sunday School and taught Sunday School for many years.

Seven sons and three daughters were raised in Baltimore, Maryland and Montana and are: Frank Hustava, Pittsburgh, PA; Robert (Rachel) Minteer, Bozeman, MT; Greg (JoAnne) of Indian Harbour Beach, Fl; Dan Minteer (Deborah) of Walla Walla, WA; Stephen Hustava, Tonganoxie, KS; Tim, (Doris) Minteer, Pullman, WA; Andrew, (Patricia) Hustava, Flower Mound, TX ; Margaret, (David) Williams, Kalispell, MT; Ellen Hardcastle, Butte, MT; and Katherine, (Todd) Passage, Helena, MT. My first son, Michael Robert Minteer died as an infant in 1954. I have two brothers: Robert M. Renshaw, Stockbridge, GA and John A. Renshaw, Albuquerque, NM, three nephews, three nieces, nineteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.

I remarried in August of 2017 to Del Lonnquist from Helena, Montana. He has six children, nineteen grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. We now live in Melbourne, Florida where we are active in Hope Lutheran Missouri Synod Church. Del likes to play his banjo and sing at farmer’s markets and assisted living centers in the area and the Alzheimer’s Day Care Center once a month where I sing a few songs with him. We have also signed on to help with the American Red Cross in their disaster relief and social media efforts.