Lonnie Gene Houghton of Englewood, Tennessee, went home to be with our Lord and Savior on April 1, 2026. He was born in Arlington, West Virginia on July 1, 1945.

Lonnie graduated from Fairview High School in 1963 and then joined the United States Navy. After the Navy, he attended and graduated from West Virginia Tech. He worked as a printing press operator at Moore Business Forms in Buckhannon, West Virginia for 30 years. He then moved to South Carolina, and after obtaining his HVAC certification, he worked at Greenwood and then at the University of South Carolina, Aiken until he retired in 2016.

Lonnie built a life grounded in love, hard work, and devotion to the people he cared for. He received a Master’s of Electrician license and had a deep love for woodworking and beekeeping for most of his life. He lived his life faithfully, and generously, with a jovial attitude. He was always joking and having fun in life. He was a faithful servant of God and lived it out loud. If anyone needed him, he never hesitated, he just simply showed up and was ready to serve. He helped in construction and maintenance for several different churches. He was involved with visitation and ran a bus route for Calvary Baptist Church in Buckhannon, West Virginia. Lonnie led many people to accept the Lord as their Savior. After moving to Englewood, Tennessee, he attended Wildwood Baptist Church.

Lonnie is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Wanda Sue Houghton; his brother, Delmas Houghton of Fairview, West Virginia; his two sons, Timothy Gene Houghton, of Lynchburg, Virginia and David Houghton (Leslie), of Cleveland, Tennessee; two grandchildren, Katie Houghton Wilcox (Brett), of Old Fort, Tennessee and Nathan Houghton, of Cleveland, Tennessee; one great-grandchild, Bryer Wilcox, age 15 months; along with numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Frena Allman Houghton and his two sisters, Lois Faye and Elizabeth Houghton Thompson.

There will be a Celebration of Life Service at the Chapel of Companion Funeral Home in Athens, TN on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 4 PM officiated by Pastor Bill Vest. The family will receive guests for visitation from 3-4 PM. Burial will immediately follow at Hiwassee Memorial Gardens in Charleston, TN. The U.S. Navy will be in attendance at the cemetery to provide military honors.