Caleb Sullivan & Ruthie James Obituary

Caleb Mitchell Sullivan, born in Ada, Oklahoma, was a proud member of the Choctaw Nation. He was known for being selfless and always putting others before himself. He knew no stranger and if you were his friend, you would instantly become family. And family meant so much to him. He loved family get togethers and family game night. Caleb played football in middle school and marched in the High School band. Lacross also piqued his interest in high school, as it was similar to stickball. He learned to play stickball at The Choctaw Nation youth summer camps in Tuskahoma, and from then on, he fell in love with the game. Once he got older, he helped coach some teams. He himself played for several stickball teams and his last team was with Koni Shine and looked forward to playing with them during the 2025 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival. He had a passion for cooking and loved to experiment with different types of food. Caleb was also a huge Dallas Cowboys fan as well.

Ruthie Shailea James, born in Talihina, Oklahoma, was also a proud member of the Choctaw Nation community. She carried wisdom and warmth, known for her beautiful loving smile. Ruthie grew up attending South Rock Creek Baptist Church in Red Oak, Oklahoma. She was always so quiet and bashful. When someone would ask her name, she’d smile and try to hide behind her mommas legs peeking out saying “Ruthie” and then hide again. She always had a big heart and was very loving, especially for her family. When Ruthie was in middle school she tried out for band and played the clarinet. That same year she and her sister MeKailan met Dewayne Hornbuckle and joined his youth stickball team Yvnnsh Homma (“Red Buffalo”)! She played with the team until she aged out. By then she was in high school where she was a Poteau Pirate and graduated in 2020. She became Poteau’s district 4 Senior Miss Choctaw Nation. During her reign, Ruthie decided to challenge herself in doing something that took her out of her comfort zone and tried out for a roll in the show Reservation Dogs. She did accomplish this with pride. That same year she joined the women’s stickball team and became a Tvshka Homma Ohoyo. Although playing with other stickball teams she decided to play with team Rogue and became one of the sisters. Through it all Caleb was her number one fan and sidekick who helped her overcome some of those fears of everything she set herself out to accomplish. Both Caleb and Ruthies love for each other and the sports they played will forever be an everlasting memory.

Although they were not married yet, they were inseparable. Their love was rooted in family, culture, and the land of their ancestors. In April 2022 Ruthie met Caleb at a stickball tournament where they became as one and inseparable. A couple of years went by and many tournaments later Caleb realized that Ruthie was the one and on Labor Day last year after his game he proposed to her, and she answered with a yes! They both became God parents to Luna Jiminez and Adelynn Hadley and had enormous love for all their nieces and nephews. It breaks our hearts to be here today having to say our see you laters instead of goodbye!

Together, they leave behind a legacy of love and strength that will live on through the many lives they touched.

They are now reunited with ancestors and loved ones who passed before them. Caleb is reunited with his grandfather’s Reverend Floyd Peters and Dale Sullivan, uncle Scott Wright, great uncle Reverend Donald Jones, great aunts Sue Jones and Elenza Johnson, and his childhood friend Dalton “DJ” Farrell and Ruthie is reunited with her sister LaKota Rae James, her grandfather Harvey Ray James, her grandmother Juanita Christine Meashintubby, great grandmother Verna Bernard, her great great grandparents Dosh and Bydia Pope, her aunts Sarah Annette (Melton) Jacinto and Merilynn James, her uncles Bobby, Roger, Eddie James, and her great aunt Linda Sivic.

Caleb is survived by his Father Mattthew Sullivan, his mother Lorelei Sullivan – Scott, his brothers Austin Sullivan, Logan Sullivan, Taylor Hadley and wife Chasity, and Jordan Scott, his sister Alanna Scott, his nieces Kaizleiyn Hadley, Jaihlee Hadley, Bella Hadley, Adelynn Hadley, Oaklyn Scott, Nevaeh Jimenez, and Luna Jimenez, his nephews Spencer Sullivan, Seth Scott, Jasper Scott, Santiago Jimenez, and Azariah Long, and his God daughter Adelynn Hadley, along with many other relatives and loved ones.

Ruthie is survived by her father Delbert James, her mother Kristele James, grandmother Betty Ludlow(Mom), her sisters Delia Jimenez and husband Gerardo, Me’Kailan James, her aunt Aricia James, her nieces Kaizleiyn Hadley, Jaihlee Hadley, Bella Hadley, Adelynn Hadley, Nevaeh Jimenez, Luna Jimenez, her nephews Santiago Jimenez and Azariah Long, and her Godchildren Adelynn Hadley and Luna Jimenez, along with many other relatives and loved ones.

The Celebration of Life Services for Caleb and Ruthie will be held 12noon – Friday, August 15, 2025, at Tuskahoma Stick Ball Fields in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, where Caleb proposed to Ruthie. Timothy Jones, Jared Tom, and Dewayne Hornbuckle will be officiating the service. Urn bearer for Caleb will be Taylor Hadley and honorary urn bearers will be Dalton “DJ” Farrell, Jordan Scott, Lucas Perry, Isabella Frazier, Tre Moore, Shawn Hendrix, and Lucas Battiest. Urn bearer for Ruthie will be Delia Jimenez, Gennevaie Tom, Kyra Hornbuckle and Mekailan James. Honorary urn bearers will be Melvin Melton, Alejandro Torres, Jaymes Torres, Gerardo Jimenez, Nashoba Jacinto, Junior Jacinto, Dewayne Hornbuckle, Frank Johnson, Destiny Moore and Chasity Aaron.

Online condolences can be made at www.holtfuneralandcremation.com

“Through Love, Serve One Another”

The Families of Caleb and Ruthie have entrusted their arrangements to Holt Funeral and Cremation, 522 Dewey Avenue, Poteau, Oklahoma 74953, 918-721-0026.