Lonnie E. Deal

Lonnie E. Deal, 71, of Cloverdale, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, June 24, 2024.

He was born Halloween, Oct. 31, 1952 in Lowellville, Ohio, the fifth of nine children of Lester and Florence Deal.

He attended high school but left to work in a steel mill in Youngstown. When the steel mill shut down he enlisted in the Navy, where he attained his G.E.D. at Great Lakes Naval Station. Stationed at Norfolk, Va., he became a boiler tech on the U.S.S. Humley in Guam and was in the service for eight years. After that he worked for the City of Hampton, Va., until he became disabled.

He and his wife, Donna Carpenter, raised three sons to be avid outdoorsmen. They loved hunting turkey, squirrels and deer and at other times could be seen with Brittany spaniel Ryder fishing or boating on Tionesta Creek of the Alleghany River.

Lonnie loved to cook and grill out. He was especially known for his homemade choke cherry wine, dandelion wine and his Aunt Margaret’s Cherokee salsa sauce.

In 2009, he moved to Indiana after failing health and sold his boat. Mr. Deal suffered a stroke seven years ago at age 65. Lee Ann Gray became his caregiver, life saver and significant other. He participated in a clinical study at Purdue University for Aphasia Boot Camp. He was a member of Cloverdale American Legion Post 281 and in 2019 was presented a Quilt of Honor at the Putnam County Veterans Program.

He enjoyed watching westerns and was a fan of Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods, the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts. He was preceded in death by his parents, his ex-wife, their son Jason, a brother Les of West Hickory, Pa.; two sisters, Debby and Darla, and sister-in-law Sandy, all of Youngstown, Ohio.

He is survived by four sisters, Linda Schrader, Kathy (Pete) Ruozzo of Lowellville, Ohio, Teddy (John) Forgache of Charlotte, N.C., and Jeanette (Mike) Annibella of Tionesta, Pa.; a brother, Glenn (Carla) Deal of Strattanville, Pa.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Surviving are two sons, Garrett Deal and daughters Leah Kay and Tori of Westminster, Colo., and Greg (Felicia) Deal and children Gracie, Zander and Ryleigh of Lucinda, Pa.; and his girlfriend, Lee Ann Gray.

A card shower was held for his family. There will be no service. Whitaker Funeral Home in Cloverdale was entrusted with cremations and interment at Oak Hill Cemetery North in Crawfordsville. Memorial contributions may be made to Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran’s House, 2669 Cold Spring Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46222 with Lonnie Deal in the memo.