Author, EWTN host Bob Lord dies Feb. 13

Lord and wife Penny founded Holy Family Mission in Morrilton

Published: February 19, 2016

Arkansas Catholic file / Tara Little

Bob Lord, who along with his late wife, Penny, co-founded Journeys of Faith ministry and Holy Family Mission in Morrilton and were active hosts and producers on EWTN, died Feb. 13.

Arkansas Catholic file / Tara Little

Bob Lord, who along with his late wife, Penny, co-founded Journeys of Faith ministry and Holy Family Mission in Morrilton and were active hosts and producers on EWTN, died Feb. 13.

Bob Lord, who along with his late wife, Penny, co-founded Journeys of Faith ministry and Holy Family Mission in Morrilton and were active hosts and producers on Eternal Word Television Network sharing about saints and the many pilgrimages they took together over the years, died Feb. 13. He was 80.

Lord was born Sept. 9, 1935, in the Bronx, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War for two years before being honorably discharged as a corporal. In 1956, he pursued an acting career in New York, but a year later, he met fellow actor Pauline Macaluso, later known as Penny Lord. Instead of chasing the dream of Broadway, the couple married in December 1958. Their marriage was convalidated in the Church in 1969.

When their son Richard died in 1971 from a drug overdose, their marriage was in turmoil but saved by attending a Marriage Encounter weekend. Taking pilgrimages to places like Lourdes and Rome and hosting the spiritual journeys for fellow Catholics also brought them closer to the Church.

Throughout 26 years they wrote 25 books, and their first book, “This Is My Body; This Is My Blood: Miracles of the Eucharist,” in 1986 garnered the attention of the Catholic-based EWTN. They went on to produce and host more than 200 programs, including “Super Saints.” In 2000, the couple moved to Morrilton and founded Holy Family Mission, a space for retreats, conferences and a place to write more books and create educational videos on the faith.

He is survived by one daughter, Clare Parker of South Carolina; adopted son, Raymond Joseph Freyaldenhoven of Morrilton; two adopted daughters, Luz Elena Sandoval-Lord and Blanca Estela Perez, both of Morrilton; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The rosary and visitation will be Feb. 25 at Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton with the funeral Mass Feb. 26, also at Sacred Heart. Memorials can be made to Holy Family Mission, P.O. Box 845, Morrilton, AR 72110.