The Honorable Gary Wayne Rulon

Former Chief Judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals, Gary W. Rulon, 83, died on August 21, 2024, at Aberdeen Village in Olathe, Kansas, following a lengthy illness. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas, May 18, 1941, to Wayne Merton and Hannah “Ruby” Baldwin Rulon. He and Patricia G. Spencer were married on December 27, 1965 in Topeka, Kansas. They were blessed with two daughters, Dr. Jessica R. Dain (Dr. Todd) of Kansas City and Elizabeth S. Holland (Tom) of Olathe. Judge Rulon has six grandchildren: Andie, Ashton, and Brock Dain, and MacAllister, Harper, and Sawyer Holland.

Judge Rulon grew up in Topeka and following graduation from Topeka High School in 1959, he began an apprenticeship in plumbing. In 1962, he volunteered to enlist in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He was a proud Seabee, a construction branch of the Navy, and volunteered to serve in Vietnam where he was assigned to construct wells. He was honorably discharged in 1964. He initially went back to work as a journeyman plumber, but soon realized his desire to continue his education.

As such, following discharge from the Navy, he went on to receive his undergraduate and law degrees from Washburn University and entered into private practice in Emporia, Kansas. After seven years he became a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver, Colorado. He returned to Emporia and in January, 1981, was appointed Chief Judge of the Fifth Judicial District (Lyon and Chase Counties). He served there for more than seven years. While there, the 5th Judicial District was selected as one of those that ran a pilot project for testing cameras in the courtroom and Judge Rulon had the honor of presiding over one of the first televised cases in Kansas. At the end of that tenure, the local Emporia paper said this about him, “Rulon quickly became a favorite in the courtroom. Lawyers and fellow judges praised his intelligence, compassion, and knowledge for the law. He quickly gained an additional reputation as a legal scholar, turning out clear, concise, articles for legal journals and professional conferences.”

In January, 1988, Judge Rulon was appointed to the Kansas Court of Appeals in Topeka and was elevated to Chief Judge in 2001. As Chief, he championed open media coverage of appellate proceedings, administrative streamlining, and docket control, moving cases through the system to assure that all people who had cases on appeal had their cases heard with dispatch. In January 2011, he retired after serving nearly 30 years as a member of the Kansas Judiciary. In the military, Gary would be known as a “30-year-man” for his service to the state of Kansas.

Rulon was a past member of the Kansas Bar Association, served as vice-chairman of the Kansas Sentencing Commission, was a member of the Kansas Judicial Council’s PIK committee, and was a member of the Council of Chief Judges of the States Court of Appeals in the United States.

In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his sister, Leila Stanley (Jim) of Topeka, Kansas, sisters-in-law, Annette Rulon, Flagstaff, AZ, Jing Rulon, of Thailand, brother-in-law, Dr. Jerry Spencer (Nila Jean) and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Ruby Rulon, and brothers Don Rulon, Philip Rulon, and Curt Rulon.

Judge Rulon was an avid sports fan and particularly enjoyed watching his daughters and grandchildren participate in various sports.

Services for the Honorable Gary Wayne Rulon are as following: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Grace United Methodist Church (11485 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, KS 66061). There will be a visitation at 9:00 A.M. and a 10:00 A.M. Funeral Service followed by Graveside Service at Shawnee Mission Memory Garden.

A recording of the service can be seen here: https://youtu.be/VPzQ7Mkh0k8

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the following:

Aberdeen Education Fund at https://www.aberdeenvillage.com/to-give

Grace Methodist Church at https://graceumc.church/giving/

Washburn Law School at https://www.wualumni.org/g/give-to-washburn-law