SFC (Ret) Joseph "Joe" Thomas Rue

SFC (Ret) Joseph “Joe” Thomas Rue, was born on January 15, 1933 in New Albany, Indiana to Alvis and Pauline Rue. He is preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings: Alvis, John, Pat, Edna, Lucille, Rose, and Pauline. Joe leaves his wife, Shirley, whom he was married to for almost 64 years and four daughters: Linda Myers (Logan), Debra Stockstill (Stacey), Cathy Sundell (Roy) all of Waynesville, and Donna Boatright (Neal) of Brunswick, Georgia; four siblings: Don Rue, Dot Fordyce, Charlene Rose, and Janet Creech, all of Indiana; ten grandchildren: Billy Stealy (Amanda) of Waynesville, Amanda Cantrell (Travis) of Niangua, Robert Wilkinson (Jamey) of Crocker, Ashely Moss (Dustin) of Crocker, Wesley Nickels (Naomi) of Burke, Virginia, Paul Sundell (Kaitlyn) of Waynesville, Brad and Sarah Sundell of Waynesville, Amber and Dalton Boatright (Mary) of Brunswick, Georgia; nine great grandchildren: Austin, Aribella, Jace, Hunter, Lindsay, Isaac, Lacey, Cody, and Sophie. With a calling to serve his country, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Army as soon as he was of age. After completing his basic training, he was immediately sent to Korea. During this tour, he was awarded the Purple Heart for his service and sacrifice on the front line. Upon his return home, he was stationed in California, where he met the love of his life, Shirley McBride. After just six weeks of courtship, he proposed and she happily accepted. Eager to start their new journey together they drove to Las Vegas, Nevada and exchanged their vows in the Little White Chapel on December 21, 1953. Now married, Joe and Shirley resided in California until orders were received to move to Germany. Honored to serve his country, Joe completed tours in Korea, Iceland, and Vietnam before he would retire in 1971 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a station that would become home. Upon retirement from the U.S. Army, Joseph Rue had completed 20 years of service to country for which he was proud. This honor and pride in service to country was instilled into his grandson, Wesley Nickels, who has served in numerous tours through the Air Force since 2002. After his retirement from the U.S. Army, Joe became a Walmart greeter which he thoroughly enjoyed. He loved greeting people of all ages and took great pride in being the welcoming face of visits. Outside of his work at Walmart, Joe enjoyed aviation, fishing, traveling, and spending time with his family. When he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 70, he eventually had to retire from Walmart but loved going back to visit all of his co-workers. In 2015, Joe became a resident of the VA home in St. James, Missouri where he remained until God called him home. He was loved by all who knew him and he loved them in return. Joe will be greatly missed but will always remain within our hearts. Services were held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, November 17, 2017 in the Memorial Chapels and Crematory of Waynesville / St. Robert with Pastor Danny Graves officiating. The songs “Precious Memories” by Alan Jackson, “I’ll Meet You in the Morning” by Albert E. Brumley, Jr. and “Lord, I’m Coming Home” by the Gaither Vocal Band were played. Serving as escorts were Billy Stealy, Robert Wilkinson, Wesley Nickels, Paul Sundell, Dalton Boatright and Dustin Moss. Burial with military honors followed in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery of Waynesville. Military honors were provided by the United States Army of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of SFC (Ret) Joseph "Joe" Rue and may be left at the funeral home.

SFC (Ret) Joseph "Joe" Thomas Rue

January 15, 1933 - November 14, 2017