Funeral service for Jerry Dean Runnels age 66, of Cache, Oklahoma will be at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at Lawton First Assembly of God Church, 2201 N.W. 82nd Street, with Rev. Don Barnes, Rev. Gary Pratt and Rev. David Hubbard officiating. Burial will follow in the Cache Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick. Mr. Runnels passed away, Friday, October 26, 2018, at his home in Cache.

Jerry Dean Runnels was born on September 3, 1952, in Lawton, Oklahoma to J.E. and Lois Alvaretta (Jackson) Runnels. He attended Cache Public School, graduating from Cache High School in 1970. He attended Southwest Automotive School in Oklahoma City where he received an automotive mechanic certification and later attended Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton where he received certification in welding and electronics. Jerry worked as a mechanic for the Exchange Garage and Inland Service at Fort Sill. On August 6, 1977, he and Judith Diane Rhodes were united in marriage at the Holy City in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. To this union was born three children, Jennifer Deanne, JoReta Dawn and Justin Darrell. Jerry and Judy moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma after their marriage where Jerry worked in the oil field as a Safety Engineer and Blow-out Specialist. He had the opportunity to work with Boot and Coots Well Control Company, where he met Red Adair, Boots Hansen, Coots Matthews and Bobby Jo Cudd, all well-known wildfire well control pioneers. He installed and maintained safety equipment on oil and gas wells, as well as H2S poison gas wells. Jerry invented a safety bonnet on valves used to prevent the loss of oil-based mud during the process of connecting and disconnecting drill pipe. They returned to Cache in August of 1985. Jerry impacted the lives of many. He was active in the Cache Lions Club and the Cache Masonic Lodge #391 where he served as a 32nd Degree Mason. Through the Lions Club, he assisted with children in need of eye glasses and through the Masonic Lodge he helped with children in need of medical attention at the Shriners' Hospital. He served on the Cache School Board for 10 years. Jerry played "Santa" for 25 years and even when he wasn't in his Santa suit, kids would come up to him and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. He was very active with the First United Methodist Church of Cache where he started the golf cart ministry of transporting people on golf carts into the Ulrich Stadium for football games and graduation ceremonies. He, along with the Methodist Men's group, cooked hams, briskets, and turkeys for Thanksgiving for a number of years. He bowled on bowling leagues for over 35 years and had even bowled with Pro Bowlers Wes Malott and Chris Barnes. He was a member of the Lawton First Assembly of God Church. Jerry was an avid fisherman; he was a perfectionist and could fix anything. He was never content until his 1964 Corvair convertible was restored, which he completed last year. He loved family time and loved to play any type of board game, cards or dominoes; and on a good day, you might catch him cheating a little also. Jerry had a huge impact on his family and community's life. Through all the pain and illnesses, he had gone through, it was inspiring how he still had a smile on his face. Until the minute God called him home, he was thinking of others! One of his favorite sayings was, "When life deals you lemons, make lemon pie!"

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Judy Runnels of the home; one daughter, JoReta Reyes and her fiancé Henry Kaulaity of Cache, Oklahoma; one son, Justin Runnels and his wife Anna of Cache, Oklahoma; two grandsons, Trevor and Tanner Reyes of Cache, Oklahoma; one sister, Jaquetta Vaughn and her husband Steve of Mustang, Oklahoma; his mother-in-law, Louise Rhodes of Lawton, Oklahoma; two sisters-in-laws, Catherine Fowler and her husband Ronnie of Cache, Oklahoma and Cynthia Phariss and her husband Greg of Walters, Oklahoma; and a host of nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews, cousins and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; J.E. and Lois Runnels; his daughter, Jennifer Deanne Runnels; and his father-in-law, F.D. "Bud" Rhodes.

Visitation will be on Monday, October 29, 2018, from 12 noon until 8 p.m. at the funeral home in Frederick and on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Lawton First Assembly of God Church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, Cache Public Schools Alumni Scholarship Fund, or the Lawton First Assembly of God Church, in memory of Jerry Dean Runnels.