Funeral Services for Klennon “Klink” Rawlings, Age 68 of Mansfield, Missouri will be held on Monday, November 2nd, 2026 at The Craig-Hurtt Funeral Home, Mansfield, Missouri, beginning at 11:00 AM. Visitation will precede the service, beginning at 10:00 AM. Burial will take place in The South Range Ranch Cemetery, Mansfield, Missouri.
Memorial contributions can be made in Klink’s honor to his family to help cover final expenses. Checks can be made payable to Craig-Hurtt Funeral Home. Contributions can be dropped off in person at Craig-Hurtt Funeral Home, Mansfield, or by mail to 209 N. Lincoln Ave. Mansfield, Missouri, 65704.
Klennon “Klink” Rawlings, 68, of Mansfield, Missouri, passed away at home on October 21, 2026. Klennon was born to Parley and Barbara (Kilgore) Rawlings on April 22, 1958, at “the Ranch,” Zion’s Order Inc. in Mansfield, Missouri.
Klennon and Julie (Salmon) were united in marriage on November 17, 1979. On Klennon’s 23rd birthday, April 22, 1981, they welcomed their first daughter, Lindsey, at the Ranch. They moved to Mt. Vernon, Missouri, and welcomed their second daughter, Lura, on January 10, 1986.
Klennon spent most of his life as an over-the-road truck driver hauling everything from chickens to fuel, to his favorite – cattle; he was a true “bull hauler”. Klennon drove countless miles across this country and down into Mexico. He once came over a hill in the dark and hit a herd of buffalo; his first instinct was to get his trailer lights working again so no one hit his trailer that was across the road; his first thought was to look out for others, of course. One night a beaver caused a kerfuffle after breaking the nipple off his fuel tank, but he took it in stride like usual. He was always quick to help anyone who needed help and offer advice to anyone to prevent them from learning the hard way. Like, never hit your brakes on ice, and “it’s just as easy to keep the top half full as it is the bottom half” to keep his girls from running out of gas and ending up stranded. Speaking of which, before Lindsey could get her license, she had to help him change the oil and brakes on a car because he didn’t want his daughters to be taken advantage of for not knowing basic vehicular mechanics. Another aspect was teaching Lindsey how to drive a manual because “there might be an emergency and the only thing to drive is a manual, you have to know how,” so she learned from childhood what you do and don’t do on the roads. Lindsey also agrees with him that 5 cablights looks better than 7 on almost every semi out there.
As skilled a driver as Klennon was, he was equally as talented in the woods with a Stihl chainsaw or a Caterpillar dozer. He had an eye for knowing which trees to take and which to leave. He took every opportunity to learn to run any piece of equipment necessary, and he did it well. Klennon also had a knack for houseplants and landscaping; he had two green thumbs and could identify any tree in the woods any time of year.
Klennon enjoyed woodworking, rock collecting, and would bring home fern fronds and entire ferns. He taught his girls to appreciate nature and all its inhabitants, to be kind and compassionate, especially to animals. He was known to bring home orphaned baby animals like squirrels and a raccoon for them to raise and release. He let them have an inside cat, lizards, even Lura’s 3 rats, all named Napoleon, and food he caught for her crawdads in the aquarium in the living room. Klennon always kept his change and taught his girls to count using his spare change: “If you can count it, you can keep it,” and out came the old socks for his girls to count. No one could spot a cotton rock faster than Klennon, and without a doubt he was the best at finding a four-leaf clover. If you needed a good joke, you could also count on Klennon to have a few up his snap shirt sleeve. Klennon was also big on giving his girls brain teasers like “Hippopotamus, how do you spell it?” The correct answer is “i-t,” by the way. If Lura told her dad the same joke, “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?” for the hundredth time, he would smile and say, “Why?” She would respond, “Because he doesn’t have any guts!” and he would laugh as if he never heard it and it was the funniest joke he ever heard.
Klennon loved to read; he was quite selective with what he liked to read, but it was his favorite hobby to the very end. We are very grateful he was still able to read and walk and talk. On 12/2/2022, Klennon suffered a significant Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); it was a miracle he survived. Because he survived, we figured out this was not his first TBI; he had many throughout his life. It is truly remarkable he did as well as he did for as long as he did.
Klennon was preceded in death by his parents, Parley Rawlings, Barbara (Kilgore) Lehmann, and brother Kala Rawlings.
He is survived by his ex-wife Julie (Salmon) Rawlings, daughter, Lindsey (Rawlings) and husband, Jeff Flowers, daughter, Lura (Rawlings) and husband, Jim Thach, grandchildren, Valan and Giselle Thach, brothers, Curly Rawlings, Trenla Lehmann, sisters, Joyce (Rawlings) Lehmann, Helen (Rawlings) Harris, Krlin (Rawlings) Hilles, Vnda (Rawlings) Williams, and countless nieces, nephews, cousins, other family and friends.
Klennon was passionate, opinionated, friendly, outgoing, and strong. He loved “his girls” and his grandchildren more than anything. Klennon had a big personality with a ginormous heart. TBIs ultimately took his life, but we know he is now pain and struggle-free; he has all of his faculties, and most importantly, his soul is at peace. He deserved and earned his peace.
We aren’t saying “goodbye”; instead, we are going to follow his lead and say “Toodaloo and Happy Trails”.
