George Clayton Rust

George Rust, 79, of Oskaloosa, passed away Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the Mahaska Health Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa, Iowa. George Clayton Rust was born June 16, 1946, in Oskaloosa to Edward Jake and Elizabeth (Blake) Rust. He grew up in Oskaloosa and was a 1964 graduate of Oskaloosa High School. He entered the Army soon after graduation, and after basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, he was sent to Ft. Ord, CA where he took courses in Wheel Vehicle Mechanics. He was then sent to Ft. Benning, GA where he took courses in Track Vehicle Mechanics. Germany was his final destination, and he served there for over 2 1/2 years. He was discharged on July 31, 1967, and returned to Iowa and settled in Des Moines. He went to work at Elmer’s Garage, where he worked on transmissions, and later worked for Firestone Tire. George married his high school sweetheart, Rilla Milledge, on March 16, 1968, at the First Baptist Church in Altoona. They lived in the Des Moines area for a year before moving to Oskaloosa, where George went to work at Supersweet Feeds, working as the lead man mixing feed. After 10 years at Supersweet, George worked briefly for Wright’s Tree Service before joining Van Gorp Auto Recyclers. After 29 years at Van Gorp’s, he retired in 2009 but was called back to work in 2014. George and Rilla were charter members of the Rollin Oldies Car Club, lifetime members of the Iowa Street Rod Association, and long-time members of the Good-Guys Care Show. He was also a longtime member of the First Assembly of God in Oskaloosa, where he served as a deacon for several years, taught Wednesday night kindergarten and 1st-grade boys, and assisted with transportation at the church for over 20 years. When they weren’t attending car shows, he also enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. His family includes his daughters: Rilla Elizabeth Williamson (Eric Pike) of Oskaloosa and Shelia Jean Rust (Dave Marks) of Oskaloosa; five grandchildren: George (Abbey) Rust of Oskaloosa, Tyler Bartlow of Oskaloosa, Makayla Lynn Marks (Zach Collins) of Story City, IA, Mason C. Marks of Oskaloosa and Jaimie Williamson (Chris Weigle) of Oskaloosa; eight great-grandchildren: Edward, Violet, Izaak, Jack, Marley, Mia, Aubrey, and Shae. He is also survived by a brother-in-law, Larry Mateer of Eddyville. In addition to his parents, Edward and Elizabeth, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Rilla, his brothers, Edward Rust and Tom Rust (in infancy), sisters, Carla Stenoish and Margaret Mateer, parents-in-law, Edward and Rilla Milledge, sons-in-law, Chris Bartlow and Jimmy Williamson. Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church in Oskaloosa with Pastor Adam Rogers officiating. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, June 7, 2026, at Langkamp Funeral Chapel and Crematory, with family present from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. to greet relatives and friends. Memorials may be made to the Mahaska Health Hospice Serenity House.

George Clayton Rust

June 16, 1946 - June 4, 2026