Rudi Lyle Easterling, 58 years old, of Marietta, GA passed away on February 24, 2025, at his home surrounded in love by his family.  Rudi fought valiantly for nearly 8 years against his aggressive brain cancer, never complaining once.  Rudi was born on September 21, 1966, in Decatur, IL to David and Eloise Easterling.

Rudi was a steadfast believer, a dedicated family man, a friend to all, an avid sports fan, and a true gentleman who displayed rare humility.  He was a tremendous husband, father, son, uncle and friend. Rudi graduated from Mt. Zion High School in 1984 and from Millikin University in 1988. He was a career UPS man, beginning his employment at the age of 17 loading trucks and ending in sales management during his 36 years of active employment. He "bled brown" as that was his one and only employer and he was loyal to the core, representing UPS with the highest morals and dedication.

Rudi is survived by his wife of 36 years, Christina (Cooley) Easterling; their 4 children, Alexis (Andrew) Vondersaar of Smyrna, GA, Brianna Easterling and fiancé Anders Franke of Minneapolis, MN, Daulton (Kelsey) Easterling of Smyrna, GA, and Camrynn Easterling of Tampa, FL.  He is also survived by his mother, Eloise Easterling of Decatur, IL, his brother, Martin (Donna) Easterling of Decatur, IL, and in-laws Thomas and Cheryl Cooley and Larry and Melissa (Cooley) Dase, along with 2 nephews and a niece.  He was preceded in death by his father, David Easterling.

While we are devastated by the tremendous loss of Rudi, we take comfort in knowing he is with his savior and is restored to full health again.

Memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 8th at 2:00 p.m. at Lakeside Funeral Home at 121 Claremore Drive, Woodstock, GA 30188. The family will receive friends an hour prior.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (in support of brain tumor research) in memory of Rudi Easterling.  The Mayo Clinic provided Rudi with the best possible care during his battle with brain cancer, treating him with utmost compassion and concern for his quality of life.