Lonnie William Rue

Lonnie William Rue passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 25, 2025 at the age of 99.

Born March 23, 1926, in Okemah, Oklahoma, Lonnie was the son of William and Bessie Mae Rue. He was raised in Okemah, where he attended school before enlisting in the United States Navy at the age of 18. He proudly served his country until his honorable discharge in July of 1946.

After returning home to Oklahoma, Lonnie moved to Chelsea, where he met the love of his life, Patricia “Pat” Coble. They married on November 3, 1946, in Hiawatha, Kansas, and soon made their home in Atchison, Kansas. In the years that followed, they lived in several Oklahoma towns—including Chelsea, Claremore, and Tulsa—before settling permanently in Chelsea.

Lonnie was a devoted husband, father, and a tireless worker. Throughout his life, he held a wide variety of jobs—from hauling popcorn for a local farmer, working at the ice house in Pryor, running a gas station, to driving a school bus for Chelsea Schools. Alongside his wife Pat, he owned and operated S&H Bait and Rue’s Dairy, which they successfully ran for over 40 years. Summers were often spent baling hay as part of Rue’s Custom Bailing.

After retiring, Lonnie and Pat spent their golden years traveling together, often without a set destination—just choosing a direction and seeing where the road would take them. They explored much of the Midwest, taking in the simple beauty of the open road.

Lonnie was preceded in death by his parents, William and Bessie Rue; his beloved wife, Pat Rue; and his great-grandson, Crew Dunaway.

He is survived by his children: Dale Rue and wife Helen, Tom Rue, Bill Rue and wife Dara, Sharon Sappington, and Barbara Dunaway and husband David; sisters, Eva Rutherford and Mabel White, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.