Lonnie Toler

Lonnie Toler, 53, a resident of Soap Lake, Washington, passed away suddenly on Thursday, October 4, 2012, at Curlew, Washington, doing what he loved to do more than anything else - deer hunting.

Lonnie was born December 24, 1958, in Ephrata, Washington to Wilma and Irwin Toler. He attended the Ephrata schools from kindergarten through high school, graduating in 1977. He attended Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle, Washington for one year where he met and married Donna Christianson. While at LBI, he also met his life-long friend and hunting buddy, David Waterson, who was hunting with him at Curlew. Lonnie and Donna had two beautiful daughters, Leah and Jessie.

Lonnie later married Becky Knauss and they moved to Curlew where Lonnie worked for Job Corps. Lonnie and Becky had three beautiful daughters, Lorraine, Danielle, and Kelli.

In 2000, Lonnie moved back to the Soap Lake area and worked for Bishop's Spray Service until starting his own company, Lonnie's Weed & Pest. In 2006, his son Jackson was born.

Lonnie's favorite pastime was hunting and fishing. He started hunting with his dad when he was about 4-years-old when he took his BB gun and shot his grandfather in the leg. As he aged, he got better at hitting his target and bagged numerous deer, elk, and two bears over the years.

He loved spending time in the outdoors with his girls and his grandchildren and started teaching each of them to hunt and fish when they were very young. But the main passion of his life was his relationship with Jesus Christ. In 2010, he had the missionary trip of a lifetime, going to Uganda. His dream was to become a full-time missionary.

Lonnie was preceded in death by his mother, Wilma Toler; his niece, Ambyr Kellams; and his brother-in-law, Blair Barney.

He is survived by his father, Irv Toler; his children: Leah (Derrik) Foley of Shelton, Wash., Jessie (Kelly) Johnson of Bonney Lake, Wash., Lorraine of Olympia, Wash., Danielle and Kelli of Republic, Wash, and Jackson of Ephrata, Wash; his sisters: Linda Barney, Spirit Lake, Idaho, Jeri (Paul) Hinen, Dalene Halley, and Marna (Scott) Kellams all of Soap Lake; his grandchildren: Kierah, Kylianna, Judah, Elijah and Isaiah Foley of Shelton, and Alden, Taven, and Audrey Johnson of Bonney Lake; numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins; and two special friends, David Waterson, and Nina Geesey.

The memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Church In Moses Lake, 6378 Arnold Drive, N.E., Moses Lake.

In lieu of flowers, the family would request donations to World Outreach Ministry Foundation with a designation of either the orphanage or the school, both of which were so important to Lonnie. The address is P.O. Box 23267, Federal Way, WA 98093-0267.