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Obituary for Donald Emmett Rutledge
Donald (“Don”) Emmett Rutledge, 77, of Byram went to be with the Lord on October 9, 2018. Don was born on December 9, 1940 in Gallman, MS to Carlton and Edna Rutledge. He was the middle child of a family of nine children, growing up on the family’s farm. Don attended Hazlehurst High School, graduating from Mt. Carmel High School (KY) in 1958. He took classes at both Copiah Lincoln Community College and Asbury University (KY) before serving in the Mississippi Air National Guard from 1962-1968 as an aircraft mechanic. Soon after, he moved to Jackson and began an auto body shop business with his brother, Roland, called “Rutledge Brothers.” After several years, they purchased heavy equipment and changed to construction and demolition. Many streets and house lots throughout the Jackson area were created during their 40 years of residential and commercial work. Don married Brenda Braud, of Jackson, in June of 1965 and they spent the next 52 years together until her passing in 2017 from cancer. Their life was happy and blessed, raising three children and devoting their extra time to the Lord’s work. Don touched many lives through his supportive roles in children’s and youth ministry, church transportation, and soundboard operation for services and the gospel quartet, the Rosetones. In addition, he served as a Gideon in the Jackson area for over 30 years, placing Bibles in hotels and hospitals and personally handing them out in schools and prisons. Don will be most remembered for his kind and gentle spirit, his steadfast commitment to the Lord, and the mechanical help that he generously provided to others. Don is survived by his brothers, Irvin (Mary) Rutledge and Odie (Elsie) Rutledge; sisters, Keet (Charles) Winters, Lovene McCarty, Jeanette McCoy, and Molly (Ramon) Cirlos; sister-in-law, Sue Rutledge; children, Regina (Dan) Campbell, Kendall (Gabriela) Rutledge, Dwayne (Paula) Rutledge; seven grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Lakeshore Church in Byram on Saturday, October 13, at 2:00 p.m. with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. before the service. Visitation will also be held on Friday, October 12, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Gideons International (Gideon.org) in memory of Don Rutledge.
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