Lonnie Preston Jarrell was born to Mrs. Robbie Dean Jarrell on March 19th, 1948, in Mobile, Alabama. A year later, his dear younger brother, William Daniel Jarrell, was born on March 8th. On June 7th, 1968, he married Sue McConnell, his high-school sweetheart, and the great love of his life, in a service in Mobile. Together they welcomed three children, Preston, Meredith, and Virginia, and in time celebrated the births of five grandchildren. In a career spanning 44 years at the BNSF Railway, he worked his way from the trainyard to upper management. He worked tirelessly for those he loved, and his work ethic was the stuff of legend. He was an active member and leader of the Odd Fellows, which to those who loved him was both an organization and a sometimes-apt description of the man himself.

To friends, family, and strangers alike, Lonnie was unstintingly generous and incorrigibly friendly; in fact, to him, no one was a stranger. He freely gave of his time, energy, and money to anyone he saw in need. He made it a point to carry cash so he could give to any he met, and he always took a moment to hear others' stories. He took an unflagging interest in all he encountered, and those he spoke with—either for a moment or an hour—invariably knew they'd been heard.

If the phrase "family man" describes anyone, it was Lonnie Jarrell. His many years' hard work and professional accomplishments all served not his own ambition but the needs of his family. He was a steadfast husband and father who unfailingly placed his family before himself, making it a priority to foster the interests and passions of his children. This meant trudging through the cold on a pheasant hunt, enduring a melodramatic Broadway musical, and driving across the South to attend Civil War re-enactments. His loving support of his family's pursuits was not limited to his children: many a bench outside metroplex antique stores still bears the impression of his patient waiting for his wife to find her next treasure.

The final fifteen years of Lonnie's life were marked by great suffering. From 2007 forward, he was beset by increasingly debilitating illness. As great as his challenges were, he taught his family by his example to cherish life and each other. A man of deep faith, he saw in Christ the perfect icon of redemptive suffering. He bore great pain with grace, courage, and hope in his Savior. Lonnie's patron in the Orthodox Church, St. Seraphim of Sarov, once wrote, "Acquire the spirit of peace and around you thousands will be saved."  Especially in his later life, Lonnie exemplified a peacefulness of spirit that touched all who knew him.

He is survived by his brother Danny, his wife Sue, his three children and their spouses, and his five grandchildren: Olivia Katherine, Preston Jr., Abigail, Hannah, and Sadie.