Judy Gail Runnels

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Collins for Judy Gail Runnels, 75 of Hattiesburg, who passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, July 20, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Pastor Gary Shows will officiate at the services with interment to follow in the McNair Cemetery in Mount Olive, Mississippi. Special music will be provided by Mrs. Michelle Howell and Mr. Jamie Thompson. Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Collins will be in charge of the arrangements.

The family will receive friends from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home, 3202 Highway 49, Collins, Mississippi, 39428.

Her pallbearers will be Jeremy Slonaker, Josh Sullivan, Barrett Slonaker, Billy Richardson, Myles Moss, Zach Koenigsberger, Cole Koenigsberger, and John Buys. Honorary pallbearers will be Clark Slonaker, and John Larry Sullivan.

Judy Runnels, lovingly known to many as “Sweet Judy”, was born on February 19, 1951, in Magee, Mississippi. She was the daughter of William Earl and Virginia Lou Smith Runnels.

Judy was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She shared forty-three beautiful years with her high school sweetheart, Jimmy Don Runnels, until his passing on December 28, 2012. Judy was a member of the Providence Baptist Church and was a woman of faith whose life reflected kindness, grace, and genuine love for others. She found happiness in life’s simple, meaningful moments. Judy’s legacy is one of quiet strength, gratitude, and a heart that made everyone feel seen and loved. She will be deeply missed and forever cherished.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Earl and Virginia Lou Smith Runnels; her husband of forty-three years, Jimmy Don Runnels; and two sisters, JoAnn Runnels Speed and Joyce Runnels Slonaker.

She leaves behind her loving children, Mandy Runnels Ward and Christopher Tracy Runnels, and his wife, Lee, all of Hattiesburg; two sisters, Nan Runnels Sullivan, and her husband, John Larry of Mount Olive, and Kay Runnels of Laurel. She was a proud and adoring grandmother to her three grandsons, Jack Runnels, John Runnels, and Tripp Ward, who brought her endless joy. Judy was a beloved aunt to a host of nieces and nephews, each of whom held a very special place in her heart.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee, 38105.

2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Family members and friends may sign an online guestbook at www.billymkingcolonialchapel.com