Troy Lester Mooneyham
April 17, 1945 — November 22, 2025
Troy Mooneyham was born on April 17, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his parents Troy Sr. and Emma Mooneyham. As the son of a Naval Chief, he spent his early years living around the world, an upbringing that nurtured his curiosity, resilience, and openness to people from all walks of life. He loved telling stories about living in Rhode Island, Hawaii, and on the Kwajalein Atoll (part of the Marshall Islands) where they lived in a home built on stilts and each day at high tide, the home was surrounded by water! Troy attended high school in Garden Grove, California, where his claim to fame was being on the cheer squad with future actor Steve Martin. Troy carried a picture of him and Steve in his wallet and enjoyed telling people that he (Troy) went on to become a pastor while Steve Martin squandered his life doing whatever! While in high school Troy was a member of a Campus Life club led by Mike Yaconelli, who went on to become a nationally recognized leader in youth ministry and co-founder of Youth Specialties.
Troy went on to earn a degree in History and Social Studies from California State University, Fullerton. During college, Troy worked at Disneyland for 4 years, a job which influenced the way he was to think about ministry. He often shared a story about being a greeter at the main entrance gate. On one particular day there was a very irate family who Troy was called to deal with. When the situation was resolved, Walt Disney, who had watched the entire scene, came and personally thanked Troy for the way he embodied the Disney philosophy in his dealing with this family.
It was at Disneyland where Troy met Annette Suzanne Meyer. They married on August 7, 1967 at her Lutheran Church, beginning a partnership marked by deep love, shared faith, and 53 years of devotion. It was through Annette that Troy became connected to the Lutheran Church. He had been baptized as a child in the Presbyterian Church, and then later baptized 2 other times in separate Baptist Churches (by full immersion!). Troy spent the rest of his life sharing how it was in the Lutheran Church that he first came to understand the true meaning of grace.
Shortly after their wedding, Troy enlisted in the Navy. He was training as a helicopter pilot but eventually ended up serving four years as an Intelligence Officer, specializing in preparing pilots how to survive while being held as prisoners in Vietnam.
After his honorable discharge Troy’s commitment to service continued with his call to ministry, earning his Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1974. He spent his internship year at St. Mark’s in Chula Vista, California, and then received his first call there to serve as the pastor of youth ministry. It was at St. Mark’s where Troy and Annette became friends with Gordon and Karen Boltz, a friendship that would lead to his eventual call to Bethesda. All the Mooneyham children were born during the Chula Vista years, Kim in 1973 (while on Internship), Kristin in 1975, and Sean in 1978. They were born in the same hospital, by the same doctor, in National City between San Diego and Mexico.
From Chula Vista Troy and Annette moved to Placentia, not far from Disneyland, where Troy served as the sole pastor. These were the final years of his allegiance to the USC Trojans. A new college team was about to steal his heart!
Late in 1987, Troy received the call to become the lead pastor at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eugene (where Gordon Boltz served on the call committee). Judy Jernberg was the parish administrator there and then, a year later, Bethesda called Ralf Kalms to serve as pastor of youth and family ministry. This partnership was to last for the next 15 years (and Troy and Ralf served together for another 3 years). These were wonderful years at Bethesda which included 2 major building projects and capital campaigns, a long partnership with Young Life, the creation of the Westside Indoor Playground and a partnership with a Christian counseling practice. Troy led Bethesda with vision and joy, and his laughter and humor became ministry tools.
Over the course of his vocation as an ELCA Lutheran pastor, Troy faithfully served these three congregations, with his last 27 years at Bethesda Lutheran Church (in his retirement Troy served as a visitation pastor for a few years). His ministry was shaped by compassion, steady leadership, and a warm sense of humor. He is remembered for his ability to listen and his gift for making others feel at home.
The Eugene years are also remembered as Troy and Annette’s introduction and passion for the Oregon Ducks. These were largely very good years to be a Duck football fan and, during football season, Troy would often begin worship with “How ‘bout them Ducks?! (he stopped doing this when a number of members reminded him that there were Oregon State graduates in the congregation!).
In 2016 Troy and Annette moved to Vadnais Heights, Minnesota to be close to their daughter Kim and family. About a year later Annette was moved into a memory care center where Troy visited her almost every day. Troy moved into an apartment in Kim’s home. He loved attending his grandchildren’s activities and sharing dinner with Kim’s family. In July 2024 Troy moved into an assisted living facility, and the following year went into the memory care center of that same facility. On November 22, 2025 Troy died peacefully surrounded by his children in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Troy and Annette loved traveling around the United States, especially the western states. They loved the national parks and visited Yosemite annually. Troy, Annette and Kristin were proud to have climbed the famous and challenging cable trail to the Half Dome summit. Troy also enjoyed American history, especially military history. He had an extensive history library and enjoyed reading and watching PBS history-based programming. Troy was preceded in death by his parents, Troy Sr. and Emma Mooneyham; and by his beloved wife, Annette. He is survived by his three children: Kimberly Anderson and her husband, Jerry, of White Bear Lake, MN., and their children, Quinn and Lilian; Kristin Johnson and her husband Scott of Fremont, Nebraska and their children, Ainsley and Alanna; and Sean Mooneyham of Eugene, OR and his daughter, Faith; all Troy’s grandchildren brought him immense joy and pride. We commend Troy to the loving care of his heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions to Bethesda Lutheran Church or the PBS Foundation – Troy found great joy in their programming and believed deeply in the importance of public storytelling and education.