Stanley Unruh

Stanley L. Unruh, 74, of Columbus, MS passed away on September 16, 2026, near his home due to farm related accident. Services will be held at Brook Haven Mennonite Church, 7361 Hwy 388, Brooksville, MS 39739, Monday, September 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. A visitation will be held Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the church, from 6-8 p.m. Cockrell Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.Stanley Leon Unruh, my husband, our dad, and grandpa was born in Chickasha, Ok. on September 1, 1952, to Clarence and Lula (Koehn) Unruh. God called him home on Sept 16, 2026, near his home due to a farm related accident. He was the youngest of ten children. His childhood was spent in the Chickasha, OK area. Dad was baptized in 1965 at the age of thirteen by Minister Chester Koehn. He graduated at the Verden High School in 1970. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 17, he moved to Leland, Ms. where he got a job in land leveling for Levi Koehn. In 1971, he moved to the Macon, MS area where he began his farming occupation together with his brothers. This began his lifelong passion for farming. He greatly enjoyed row crop farming and raising catfish. He also spent many winters doing carpentry when farming years were tough showing us not to give up when the going gets rough.On April 8, 1973, he married our mother, the love of his life, Charlene Nightingale enjoying fifty-three years of marriage. Together they raised one daughter and four sons. Family devotions and church attendance were very important to Dad, but above all, his faith was the foundation of his life. He also taught us that hard work never hurt anyone. Dad generously volunteered his time going to CDR projects and serving on church building committees. He was always a willing worker and a strong man.In recent years Dad had some health setbacks that slowed him down, and in the last months of his life, we especially noticed his quiet spirit and a letting go of these earthly things. During this time, his love and devotion to Mom seemed to become even more evident. We saw in the little things how much he cherished her and valued the life they had shared together.Looking back, we realized it wasn’t really about the farm or the money. It was about creating a lifestyle that was conducive to raising a family-a life where being together and making family a priority mattered most. Through his love for us, he passed on a lesson that has stayed with us: what truly matters most in life is not what we have, but the love we share and the time we spend together as a family. Although Dad’s death was sudden, we know that God makes no mistakes. The life he lived and the peace that was evident in him leave us with the assurance that he has gone home. While our hearts are heavy with his absence, we find comfort in knowing that this is not goodbye forever. We will meet him in heaven someday.Left to cherish fond memories are his loving wife, Charlene of Columbus MS. Children Deborah and Aaron Koehn of Columbus MS, Timothy and Annette Unruh of Columbus MS, Benjaman and Jamie Unruh of Columbus MS, Jonathan and Tanya Unruh of Rector AR, Charles Unruh and fiancé Karlee Roberts of Columbus MS, 16 grandchildren; three brothers Gilbert Unruh of Chickasha OK, Milfred Unruh of Brooksville MS, Paul and Dorothy Unruh of Brooksville MS, two sisters, Luella and Willard Koehn of Verden OK, Wilma and Richard Koehn of Walnut Hill, FL and many nephews, nieces, in-laws and friends.He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, and 1 grandson.