JEFFERSON COUNTY 鈥 Randy Rulo and his wife, Laura, knew they wanted a big family as soon as they met. They went on to have five stairstep kids, and their sixth, a boy, is due next month.
For the past several years, it seemed like wherever Rulo was, there was sure to be a baby in his arms.
Randy Rulo, Jr., 37, died August 9, 2025 when the truck he was driving on Interstate 55 near Pevely left the roadway and flipped over.
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鈥淗e loved being around them,鈥 said James Blum, Rulo鈥檚 brother-in-law.
Rulo was driving a ready-mix truck on Saturday, headed south on Interstate 55 near Pevely when his Freightliner left the roadway about 8:45 a.m., according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. He overcorrected, officials said, and the truck flipped, ejecting him.
The stretch of I-55 north of Route Z has been under construction, with the lanes narrowed. The highway was closed for more than two hours following the wreck.
Rulo had been working for Wil Mix Concrete Products in Festus for about four months.
鈥淗e was a fantastic employee, always good-natured,鈥 said Eric Marshall, the vice president of Wil Mix, on Monday. 鈥淛ust a good human.鈥
Marshall said that he learned that something was wrong Saturday through the GPS tracking on the truck. He declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the collision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still early,鈥 said Marshall.
Though Rulo had worked as a truck driver off and on over the years, he was a techie at heart, his brother-in-law said.
鈥淗is favorite hobby was working on computers, putting those together,鈥 Blum said. 鈥淗e was one of those guys who nobody could outsmart.鈥
He also loved the outdoors. Every weekend that the weather cooperated, he would take his children kayaking.
On Tuesday evenings, he attended a Bible study group at First Baptist Church of De Soto, where he had worshiped since he was a boy.
The family was planning to celebrate Laura Rulo鈥檚 birthday on Saturday, said Blum. The police showed up at the Rulos鈥 Festus home instead.
Everyone has been in a daze since, Blum said. They went through a similar tragedy four years ago, when Rulo鈥檚 father died in a one-vehicle wreck on Highway 21 in Hillsboro.
A has been set up to help support the family. Memorial arrangements have not yet been finalized.
