Asa Duane Dunnington Jr.

Asa Duane Dunnington, Jr., (1939 - 2026), 86, of Anderson, Indiana, passed away on March 6, 2026, after a short illness and hemorrhagic stroke. Asa Duane was born in Logan, Iowa, as the oldest child of Asa Duane Dunnungton, Sr., and May Agnes Palmer. He was the big brother to Judy and Dorrette "Dorrie". The Dunningtons moved to El Monte, California, around 1943, and Duane loved growing up in Los Angeles County. He rode his bike all over LA County. His best friend, Joe, lived behind them and was from Mexico. Duane learned fluent Spanish from Mrs. Montanez, who was like another mother to him. He loved eating at their house and even went to Mexico with their family. Asa Duane was Duane most of the first half of his life, and when he moved to Indiana, he decided to be called Asa. Baseball was his favorite thing to do as a young boy. He ate, slept, and breathed baseball and was on the varsity baseball team at El Monte High School. As an adult, he umpired for the minor leagues and umpired hundreds of baseball and softball games. His name fit in well with the A.S.A. - American Softball Association. He met and married Rae Nell Long (1930 - 2015) when they were 18, and they were so in love. They were married on August 28, 1957, in El Monte, California. Three children blessed their marriage: David, Jill, and Steven. While working for Mattel, he became best friends with Doug Blaser, who introduced their family to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and Rae Nell were baptized on Christmas Day 1971, and sealed on January 11, 1975, in the Los Angeles, CA LDS Temple (being "sealed" is a belief that priesthood power binds a marriage to exist beyond the grave). Duane has a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Dunningtons lived in California, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Duane and Rae Nell divorced in the early 1990's, and she moved to Oklahoma, and he stayed in Indiana. Duane believed that sealing power could still bind his family together forever, and he expressed that he knew they would be together forever. A few places Duane worked were for Mattel Toy Company, he was Vice President Spiro T. Agnew's Lead Advance Man until Watergate broke out, and he worked at FedEx loading truck cargo into airplanes and could outperform the 20 and 30-year-old workers when he was in his 70s, just before retirement. Asa met Cheryl Lynn Stubelt (1949-2026), on a country music dating service where they were matched up on the phone. The "phone-dated" for quite some time and then decided to meet and go on an official date. Cheryl had other loose ends to tie up and called him again after 6 months. They courted, knew they were in love, and married on December 29, 2001. Two years later, they were sealed in the Louisville, Kentucky LDS Temple. She passed away exactly nine weeks before he did, and he is so happy to see her again. Asa took care of Cheryl for the last several years while she declined from Alzheimer's Disease. When she was in the memory care unit, he spent every hour he could with her, holding her hand, feeding her, and napping with her. He was so lonely without Cheryl these last few weeks. He has a zest for life and a strong desire to live wasn't wanting to go yet. Survivors include, David (Lorraine) Dunnington; their children, Meredith (Josh) and son, August of South Bend, IN; Garrett of Portland, OR, Andrew (Luna) of Redondo Beach, CA; Jill (David) Aguirre, and their children, Summer, Christian, Isaiah, and Autumn White of Tulsa, OK; and Steven (Sherry) Dunnington, and their children, Wyatt and Brooke of Broken Arrow, OK. He is also survived by sisters, Judy (Bud deceased 2011) Cradic of Santa Ana, CA; and Dorrette "Dorrie" (Bob, deceased 2011) Jacob of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Funeral services will be on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 10:00 am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Bishop Matthew Kimberlin officiating. Services will be handled under the direction of Loose Funeral Homes and Crematory. Burial will be in the Grovelawn Cemetery, Pendleton, Indiana. www.LooseCares.com.