Ada Tonnessen

After a lifetime of making others feel loved and at home, Ada Marie Austin Tonnessen is now home with Jesus her Savior. Her husband of 65 years, her daughters and their families, her sister and brother and extended family, and countless friends far and near will miss her presence but are comforted by the Bible’s message—those who accept by faith God’s offer of redemption through Jesus Christ experience joy and gladness when their earthly journey is done. Heaven with Jesus is Ada’s reality today.

ADA’S CHILDHOOD

Arthur and Esther Austin welcomed their third child, Ada Marie, born in Dade City, Florida, on June 25, 1939. In time there were five siblings: Dorothy, Edith, Ada, Art, and Liz. The family home was built by Ada’s architect father, and though small in size, it was filled with loving people and simple joys. Playing with dolls, making mud pies, learning to share, going to school—life was good. Her family pointed her to God’s truth, and it was during her early childhood years that she prayed with her Grandma Plank and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior.

In 6th grade, Ada started playing clarinet and later switched to alto clarinet. She was first chair in the Zephyrhills High School band, received superior ratings, and participated in state competition. Ada’s mother taught her to play the piano as well, and she enjoyed playing it all her life.

In Ada’s senior year, her parents and younger siblings moved to Okinawa, Japan, for overseas ministry. Ada remained in the States, living with her Grandma Plank. It was difficult to be far from family, but she adored her grandmother. She lived in Zephyrhills, Florida, until she finished high school, graduating in 1957.

TRAINING & EARLY MINISTRY

Ada left Florida for New York to attend Nyack College, a Christian college affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. At Nyack, she met Nils Tonnessen, and their date to a school function was the first step toward what became a beautiful 65-year marriage.

As part of Nils’ preparation for foreign missions, he served two years in a pastoral role in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He served the first year on his own, and after Nils and Ada were married on August 16, 1960, she served alongside him the second year.

FOREIGN MISSIONS

In 1962, Nils and Ada left by freighter ship for Thailand to start their missionary service. During their two-year language study, their first daughter, Pam, was born. Fourteen months later, their second daughter, Penny, joined the family.

Soon after they finished language school, Nils and Ada were asked to be dorm parents in Bangkok at Dalat School, a boarding school for missionary kids. They served only a short time in this role because of the school’s need to relocate. Nils and Ada were asked to remain in Thailand, so they accepted this as God’s direction and poured themselves into church planting ministry.

For their first term and part of their second, they served in the little village of Pak Chong. Nils pastored, and Ada taught children. Welcoming others into their home was a regular part of life. Late in their second term, they moved to Korat. The Korat church plant was in a downtown location and well placed to reach business professionals. Nils again pastored, and Ada taught English during the week to several age groups. Here they influenced a young generation of Thai people for Jesus. During their second term, their third daughter, Patty, was born.

In their third term they continued in Korat with the church plant and added military ministry. Just outside of Korat was a Thai airbase that the American government used for the Air Force, and Nils served as chaplain. They hosted several GIs in their home, and the family enjoyed going to the base on Sunday night for English-speaking services. There they could get American food and sweets, too.

DORM PARENTS

During furlough in 1979, Nils and Ada were again asked to be dorm parents. Dalat School had relocated to Penang, Malaysia, so this ministry change meant a country change as well. The Tonnessens’ own experiences living far from family, including having their daughters attend boarding school, gave them great understanding and compassion for both students and parents. Ada would do special things for the young people, giving gifts, celebrating their birthdays, and doing everything she could to make the dorm a home away from home. The students and parents wrote letters of appreciation with comments such as, “She was the best dorm mom I ever had,” and “She made dorm life for me.”

TOCCOA, THAILAND, AND RETIREMENT

In 1984, concern for Nils’ parents’ health led Nils and Ada to return to the United States, and they settled in Toccoa, Georgia. Nils’ parents relocated from New Jersey to Georgia, and Nils and Ada set up a home for all of them. Nils’ parents blossomed, and the family enjoyed 10 years together before Grandma and Grandpa went home to be with Jesus.

In 1998, Nils and Ada were asked to serve at the Alliance Guest Home in Bangkok, Thailand. This lasted one year, and Ada was in her element, hosting and serving. Back in Toccoa, they loved their church family and became involved with hosting a small group in their home. Ada took care of both old and young, working in an assisted living facility, sitting with the elderly as a companion, and nannying for little ones. She was often found gardening, watching birds on her porch, or baking her famous rolls.

As their three daughters married and had families of their own, Nils and Ada welcomed all the new additions and loved being grandparents. In 2016, they moved to North Carolina to live with Pam and her husband, Keith. Ada enjoyed word search puzzles and watching game shows. She was also a big fan of the Atlanta Braves. She was faithful to the end, reading her Bible until her last two days on earth and assuring her loved ones that she was praying for them.

THE HEART BEHIND IT ALL

In every place Ada lived, she loved people and served them with thoughtful care. Though her homes were beautifully decorated and she was a fantastic cook, it was her heart that made people feel at home. She was always taking people in and did not see others through man-made lenses of division. Every individual was valuable in her eyes.

Ada will be remembered for her laugh and joy in serving. Today she is with her Lord Jesus Whom she knew by faith and now knows by sight. She will be missed, but the thought of her enjoying complete healing brings much comfort. Surely, she heard her Savior say, “Well done!”

REMEMBERING ADA

Ada was preceded in death by her parents and two of her sisters, Dorothy Dolby and Liz Goetze. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Nils Tonnessen; her three daughters: Pam (Keith) Tesh, Penny (Steve) Stacey, and Patty (Todd) Hutchinson; her grandchildren: Silas (Courtney) Stacey, Sam Stacey, Siara (Tyler) Timberlake, Nick Tesh, Nilsen (Amy) Tesh, and Zack Hutchinson; her great-grandchildren: Jethro, Brynn, Lucas, Ford, and Willow; her sister, Edith McGavern; her brother, Art Austin; nieces, nephews, and extended family; and many friends from ministry and life.

Memorial gifts in Ada’s honor may be sent to support Silas and Courtney Stacey (Ada’s grandson and his wife) serving in the Dominican Republic with Greenhouse Envision DR (https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/).

Ada’s family would like to announce the following services that will take place in her memory:

Ada Tonnessen Celebration of Life

Saturday, February 7, 2026

2 PM

First Alliance Church

1370 Arnold Road

Lexington, NC 27295

—and—

Ada Tonnessen Graveside Service

Toccoa, Georgia

Details of the graveside service will be made available at Acree-Davis Funeral Home (www.acree-davisfh.com) and on the website of First Alliance Church of Toccoa, Georgia (factoccoa.com).