Obituary of Johnnie Bob Runnels

Johnnie Bob Runnels, age 87, departed this life on Friday, October 16, 2020, in Ardmore, Okla., his home of 50 years. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM, October 24th, 2020 at New Hope Freewill Baptist Church in Lone Grove, Oklahoma under the direction of the family. Cremation with care under the direction of Griffin~Hillcrest Crematory in Ardmore. Johnnie Bob Runnels born on July 5, 1933, in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, to Lewis Allen Runnels and Opal Norma (Williams) Runnels. He lived his childhood in Cache, Okla., graduating high school as a Cache High School Bulldog in 1951. Johnnie was an avid sports enthusiast, excelling in baseball, where he played short stop for his high school team. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951, completing his basic training at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Johnnie became the communications officer on the C119. That airplane became his home for the next four years, and his home away from home took him to many and various parts of the world: Morocco to Paris and Egypt to Iran. After being discharged from the Air Force, Johnnie moved to Texas, where at a local drive-in, he met his future bride, Betty Ann Adams. They married August 10, 1957, in Dallas, Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Runnels, father, mother, sister, and a grandson. Johnnie’s legacy are his five children: Celeste Runnels of Ardmore, Cecile Adams and husband, Craig, of Lone Grove, Okla., Chris Runnels and wife, Robin, of Hawley, Texas, Camille Hanks and husband, Sam, of Ardmore, Curtis Runnels and wife, Stracy, of Argyle, Texas. Seventeen grandkids, and twenty great-grandkids, one brother, Jim Runnels of Dallas, Texas and sister-in-law, Shirley Runnels of Dallas, Texas. Special thanks to Cross Timbers Hospice and Johnnie’s “girls” at the Dialysis Ranch of Ardmore. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Johnnie’s honor to Plainview High School Booster Club, 1140 S. Plainview Road, Ardmore, OK 73401, the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, or to the Wounded Warrior Project, 1 S. Nevada Ave, Suite 205, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.