HOUSTON -- A Houston-area reverend has special, personal memories of President Ronald Reagan. He served as Reagan's spiritual leader for decades in California.

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Reverend Shares Reagan Memories

The Rev. Donn Moomaw is the interim reverend at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 5308 Buffalo Speedway, in southwest Houston.

For 28 years, he led the church in Bel Air, Calif., where Ronald and Nancy Reagan attended services.

"When he would say, 'God Bless America,' I knew he meant that down to his toes," he said. "He would often call me on a Sunday afternoon, and say, 'Wait a minute. I want to make sure I got this.' And then he would quote something (and say), 'Is that what you meant? Did you mean to say that?'"

Moomaw said the president was always working to grow in his faith. When an assassination attempt almost took his life in 1981, the first thing Reagan wanted to talk about was God.

"We went in the room where he had just been operated on that afternoon. He had that bullet -- I guess none of us really knew how close that bullet came to taking him -- but he wanted to talk about the faith," Moomaw said.

One of Moomaw's favorite memories came the next day during the Academy Awards.

"To be sitting there next to the president when Johnny Carson is saying, 'Mr. President, we want you to know that we're praying for you and pulling for you and we love you.' I was standing right there -- little Donny Moomaw from Santa Anna," he said.

Moomaw delivered prayers at both of Reagan's inaugurations -- memories he said he would cherish forever.

Moomaw said he wished he were with the Reagan family the day he passed away. But they know he is only a phone call and plane ride away, if needed.