Lonnie Follansbee

Lonnie Gale Follansbee September 28, 1971 - May 5, 2023 Lonnie Gale Follansbee, age 51, of Naches, Washington, passed away of natural causes at his home on May 5, 2023. Lonnie was born on September 28, 1971 to Reid J. and Diana (Olson) Follansbee, in Yakima, Washington. Lonnie attended upper valley public schools, graduating from Naches Valley High School in 1990. Kallan Dunn, Lonnie’s high school shop teacher, sparked his interest in the machinist trade. Lonnie enrolled in the machine tooling and production at J.M. Perry Institute in Yakima. He graduated in 1992, scoring in the top 10% of his class. His initial employment in the machinist trade was at Orchard Rite Ltd. in Yakima. He relocated to Western Oregon in 1995, working for several employers as a maintenance machinist. In December 1999, Lonnie returned to the Yakima Valley bringing his experience and considerable skill to Irwin Research and Development, where he remained employed until his passing. In July 1995, Lonnie married Jackie Lee Hanen of Naches. During their 17 years of marriage, they became the proud parents of two wonderful children, Bryer and Alexandria. In 2012 Lonnie and Jackie divorced, but developed an amicable relationship so as to share in the lives of the children. Lonnie was an outdoor person enjoying hunting, fishing, camping and target shooting. His passion became the collection of curio and rifle firearms, reloading, as well as a self-taught expert gunsmith. He took great enjoyment, helping friends and family repair their fire arms, never asking payment for his time, knowledge, and expertise! Lonnie's big heart is deeply missed by his son Bryer, daughter, Alexandria, and their mother, Jackie Follansbee, all of Zillah, parents, Reid and Diana Follansbee of Yakima, sister, Shanna (Gary) Leff of West Lake Hills, Texas. Grandmother Mary Olson of Gleed,as well as coworkers, at Irwin Research and Development, and his friends in Naches and Zillah. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date . To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lonnie Follansbee, please visit our flower store.