Joel Arne Rusher

Joel Arne Rusher – born on November 8, 1943, in Cortland, NY – went to live in eternity with our Heavenly Father on August 10, 2016, at his home in San Diego, CA. He loved the Lord and was sure of his salvation. In May of 2014, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer: lung to brain. Joel received radiation for his brain and then chemo for his lung. Hospice services began on September 4, 2015 and Joel and Donna were blessed with their expertise, helpfulness and caring. May 1, 2016 was his last day attending church services and Bible Study at the Lemon Grove United Methodist Church in CA. While attending The Good Shepherd Church (UMC) in El Cajon, CA, he stood up during the Joys and Concerns time and told the congregation that he knew where he was going. A very good testimony to share. At age 16, he made his commitment to Christ at a youth camp in Upstate NY. His family – Mom, Dad, older brother and older sister – traveled around a lot, living in many states because his father, a Presbyterian US minister, had different churches to pastor. So Joel attended quite a lot of schools as he grew up. In 1961, he graduated from Wildwood HS in Wildwood, FL. Joel went to Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL for one year. Then he went to Belhaven University in Jackson, MS for 2 years. He graduated from Mesa College in San Diego in the 90s. His father became a chaplain in the Army and achieved the rank of Colonel, which was a rarity. Joel was in the Army and Navy ROTC while at Wheaton College. He wanted to see the world so he did Active Duty for 2 years and was in the Reserves for 20 years, off and on. During his Reserve years, Joel got to experience 2-week stints (non-military word) in Bermuda, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, Spain, Japan and ?. Donna was able to join him in Bermuda and Hawaii. He retired from the Military in 2004. Joel says that he has been a Jack-of-all-trades.He has worked as a supply clerk at Cape Canaveral on Apollo 7, 8 and 9, worked at Pizza Hut, was assistant manager at an appliance store, drove a UPS truck, worked at a car wash as assistant manager, worked for a furniture company, had his own TV Repair Shop in San Diego and drove for Cloud 9 Shuttle in San Diego. This is probably not the entire list. Joel met Donna at the First United Methodist Church in Mission Valley, San Diego, during the summer of 1988. The evening singles’ group was called Single Phile. She was the co-host the night Joel first came. The program was about the America’s Sailing Cup Race. He thought that Donna seemed like an outdoor woman when she told about being dumped over in a raft while on an excursion on the Snake River in OR. It didn’t take long before they started dating and were married on July 8, 1989. His mother, Aunie, passed away in 1985. Before his dad, Orlow Rusher and step-mother, Marion, passed into Heaven, 1997 and 2003, respectively, Joel and Donna enjoyed time with them in CA and at their home in FL. His older brother, John, living in CA, visited with Joel and Donna, several times before he passed in 2002. They have visited Joel’s older sister, Eunice and husband, Dean Gonnerman, at their home in Oregon City, OR, many times after the two got the RVing bug and did a lot of traveling in the USA. They bought a 1983 RV in 2000 to keep from buying airfare to a niece’s wedding in NE. Deciding that RVing was the greatest travel mode, a 2003 rental RV – 22 ft. long – was purchased in 2003. This began their travel adventures, that included sharing their trips with cats, Granola and Emilee. Joel was a superb driver, who took the RV from an odometer reading of 30K miles to over 137K miles. Central and Northern California have the lakes for fishing – a great love of Joel’s. He especially liked to hook small-mouth bass on his line. Other fish were good for eating, too. In the 1980s Joel made his own Bass boat from a kit, which he would only use in lakes. He bought a used 12′ Portabote, to carry on top of his Honda CR-V, in 2007, and enjoyed motoring around lakes to find fishing spots. It was okay with him that Donna stayed in the RV and read. Sometimes she sat with him on shore when his boat motor wouldn’t run. During the Rusher’s last CA trip in 2013 – pre-cancer – they stayed at 9 lakes. Before any CA trip, Joel would do a lot of reading to learn about the best camping and fishing locations. The Rushers were able to travel for 10 years up through 2014. Living in the small space for 2 months at a time was fun! Joel found places to stay overnight that were free. It didn’t matter that cattle might bellow at a truck stop or the diesels kept their motors running all night! He enjoyed Donna’s love of RV traveling because it let them see new sights, meet new people, visit friends and family and spend a lot of time together. Photos and canvases of lakes and oceans decorate their home, bringing back wonderful memories of trips. Joel believed that God guided the founders of our nation. As a Christian and a Veteran, he was proud to be an American. Joel was Red, White and Blue through and through. He believed we were designed to be “One Nation Under God” and that returning to the Constitution could address the current ills of the United States. He and Donna were passionate patriots with a mission to raise up young people who could “Take America back…back to the Constitution. ” Joel’s Christianity was very important to him. Donna shared his love of the Lord, too. He liked attending church services, singing in the choir, being on committees and enjoying special events. Both Joel and Donna came from church-going families. Salvation is knowing that Jesus died for your sins and that you are trying to keep your eyes on Jesus. Joel’s favorite verses are: 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. John 14:1-6 verse 2 …I go to prepare a place for you. Joel’s wife, Donna and her family will remember him with much love. And even though they wanted to have more earthly time with him, they know that he has a resurrected, cancer-free body and is in the presence of their Lord and Savior. Good News indeed! A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, August 20, 2016, at the Lemon Grove UMC. 3205 Washington St. Lemon Grove, CA 91945. 619-466-3291. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rusher Scholarship Fund through Veritas Speech and Debate Club. This is an organization for home-schooled Junior and Senior High students. The focus is on bringing up a generation of leaders with unparalleled skills in communication, organization and research. These young people will be able to stand up for the Christian values that established our nation. If you would like to donate, checks may be made out to “AEA Speech and Debate”. You can send them to the Lemon Grove United Methodist Church. The family will be very appreciative. Thank you.