Lonnie F. Cagle

Lonnie F. Cagle
November 14, 1937 - November 8, 2026

Lonnie, beloved husband of Joy, peacefully passed away on November 8, 2026. They were married for 63 wonderful years.

He was born in Dixon, CA, and attended Dixon High School. He earned varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Lonnie was also inducted into the Dixon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

After high school, Lonnie enrolled at UC Davis, where he played football all four years. He was named First Team All-Conference his sophomore year and Second Team All-Conference his freshman and junior years. Lonnie received Honorable Mention recognition on the AP Little College All-American team for two years. He was selected to the UC Davis football team's All-Decade Team of the 1950s and is currently 10th on UC Davis' career rushing yards list, having held the career rushing record for 20 years with 1,431 yards.

After graduating from UC Davis, Lonnie turned down an offer to try out with the Oakland Raiders to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. Over a 30-year career, Lonnie rose to the rank of Captain and commanded two ships and a Naval Weapons Station in Concord, CA. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V for his actions as Commanding Officer of a gunfire support ship in South Vietnam. He also received numerous other medals. Lonnie earned a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1973. He also graduated from the Command and Staff Course at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1974.

After retiring from the Navy in 1990, Lonnie and his wife, Joy, moved to Cameron Park, where they raised purebred Suffolk sheep on their five-acre ranch. In 1991, he became a sports official and refereed flag football, basketball, and softball at the middle school level. He also refereed adult intramural basketball and slow-pitch softball in El Dorado County. They happily lived on their ranch with their sheep for 36 years.

Lonnie is survived by his wife, Joy; brothers Jake (Liana) and Kent (Kewen); and many nieces and nephews.