Steve Rainey's Obituary
Stephen James Rainey, 73, of Longview, Texas, passed away peacefully at his home on Lake Cherokee on Sunday, September 28, 2025, surrounded by people he loved — some holding his hands, and many others holding him in their hearts.
Steve faced his decades-long battle with heart disease with gratitude, faith, and his signature stubbornness. As he once said: “This disease was difficult, and it was not me that continued to beat it; God did it. Just because the journey wasn’t easy doesn’t mean it wasn’t spectacular. It was.”
He did live a spectacular life and was grateful for the many adventures and countless opportunities he had to know and learn from hundreds of incredible people over the years. He lived in Longview his entire life, but he would say he was “raised” over many formative weekends with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins at the Rainey family farm in Cass County.
He and his late wife, Elaine, shared a love of travel, often exploring the country on road trips. In recent years, he and his beloved wife, Lou Anne, traveled the world together, taking more than 30 trips during their eight years of marriage and treasuring the opportunity to see the world side by side. His last trip, in August of this year, was an Alaskan cruise with Lou Anne, their children, and their grandchildren.
Steve had a remarkable career, supporting families with estate planning and insurance arrangements. He was a man of many words and deep thoughts and was honored to use his gifts to mentor dozens of people throughout his adulthood, sharing lessons he’d learned, offering thoughtful guidance, giving honest feedback, and, most of all, meeting people right where they were. He believed in encouraging people to be better than they thought they were. He’d be the first to say he wasn’t the one coming up with the wisdom he shared, that he was simply “the vessel” in the right place at the right time.
One of Steve’s favorite ways to unwind was playing golf with friends. In recent years, he was thrilled to also have Lou Anne and his “Hughes kids” join him on the course. He was a member of Pinecrest Country Club for more than 35 years, and he loved visiting beautiful golf courses across Texas, the country, and the world with friends. In the last few years, he also loved spending many evenings dining at the Cherokee Club with friends.
Steve believed his greatest calling in life was to be “Pops” to his “little people” (his grandchildren), and he delighted in every minute spent with them. Lainey “Puge” Childress, Emily “Millpond” Rainey, John Tucker “JT” Hughes, Harrison “H Rap Brown” Hughes, Louna “Looney Tunes” Hughes, Luka “Pooky” Trevino, Marshall “Shoid Boyd” Hughes, Wesley “Westelee” Hughes, and Henrietta “Etta Pearl” Heard were the absolute joys of his life.
Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Audrey and James Rainey; his wife of 43 years, Elaine Rainey; his parents-in-law, Barney and Edith Works and Wesley and Jeane Jones; and many beloved friends and family.
In addition to his grandchildren, he is survived by his wife, Lou Anne Rainey of Longview; his daughters, Kathryn Rainey of Dallas and Kelli Childress and husband, Joe, of Marshall; his bonus grandchildren Britney Bynum and husband Kyle, of Linden, Brandon Childress of Hallsville, and Zac Childress of Salt Lake City; great-grandchildren Kaden and Keely Childress of Linden; and his stepchildren and their partners, Lindsey Hughes and Mike Krusee, Tucker and Scotti Hughes, Hayley Hughes and Browning Heard, and Alex and Debra Hughes, all of Austin. He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Jerry Butler of Longview; a large extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins; and countless friends whose lives he touched over the past 73 years.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a memorial contribution to Asbury House Child Enrichment Center of Longview (320 South Center St, Longview, TX 75601; asburyhouse.net) or First Tee Pineywoods (2695 Alpine St, Longview, TX 75605; firstteepineywoods.org).
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m. at the Cherokee Club at Lake Cherokee, immediately followed by a party in Steve’s honor, concluding with a sunset toast. Please dress in golf attire if you would like. The family invites all whose lives were touched by Steve to join in celebrating a life well lived.
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