When asked to describe her brother John Luallin, Mary Strait uses terms like “wild, wooly, silly, kind, smart and ornery.”
Those “are just a few of the words that could be used to describe such a complex man,” Strait says.
Strait says her brother loved his friends and family with his whole heart.
“If he loved you, you knew it,” Strait says. “If he didn’t like you, you knew that too.”
Luallin was “a talented mechanic working with his hands his entire life,” Strait says, “and was always more than willing to help friends with their car issues in his ‘off hours.’”
Strait also says her brother loved all kinds of music and had a wicked sense of humor and would find humor in almost any situation.
Luallin died on February 22, 2023, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, exactly 25 years after his mother had received a kidney transplant. It was after that transplant, Strait says, that Luallin became a registered eye, organ, and tissue donor.
After his death, Luallin’s wish to be an eye, organ and tissue donor were honored, and his corneas were transplanted into two different people.
“To know we were able to honor his wishes and help someone has brought great comfort to our family,” Strait says. “We hope the people he was able to help are able to live their best lives ad embrace every adventure life throws at him.”
Strait says her family would love to hear from Luallin’s cornea recipients one day, and if they want more information about her brother, she would be happy to provide it.
“We still have contact with our mom’s kidney donor’s family all these years later and absolutely treasure the time their gift gave us with our momma,” Strait says.