James Selby Rue

James Selby Rue, age 78, of Boone, North Carolina passed away peacefully Friday
afternoon, August 15, 2025. He was born on September 18, 1946 in Barrington, Illinois, a
beloved son of Richard and Mary Jane Rue.

James attended Wheaton High School in Wheaton, Illinois. After graduation, he studied
at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee and earned a Master’s degree in Art and
Business at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a natural born
teacher, approachable and generous with his time and knowledge.

James’s commercial art career in the Product Design industry spanned forty years during
which time he owned marketing agencies in Boston, Ma, and South Florida. Fine art had
always been his first love, however, and later in life he would co-own an art gallery with
his wife Carolyn in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

James had a great love for dogs and horses including two Labrador Retrievers named
Kyle and Sundance. He had several horses during his life and passed that love down to
his youngest daughter, Lindsey.

Other pastimes and pursuits included private aviation and restoring Model A Fords. He
had an eye for aesthetic beauty and an appreciation for art in all its forms.
James was predeceased by his parents and sister Jacquelyn Zehr, brother-in-law Ron
Zehr, and grandson, River Zeccolo.

He is survived by his two daughters, Rain and Lindsey Rue, three grandchildren,
Rhythm, Ember and Tristan, their mother and grandmother, Peggy Rue. Remembered
fondly by his sisters Barbara Ingersol and Debra Laushine and brother-in-law’s Vern
“Butch” Ingersol and Victor Laushine, along with a nephew and three nieces, He will be
deeply missed by his wife, Carolyn and stepsons, Reed and David Smith.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the wonderful caregivers at Medi
Home Health and Hospice. We would have been lost if not for their efforts and guidance.
They were an answer to our prayers and truly a light in the darkness.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com
Austin and Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Rue family.

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