Our hearts are heavy at the loss of our Dad and Grandpa, Serphen “John” Runge, who passed away peacefully on July 20, 2020 after a recent illness.  We want to express our deepest gratitude to the staff on Unit 32 and Red Deer Hospice for their excellent care of Dad, and for the kindness and compassion they showed to him and to us as his family.  Thank  you.

John is survived by his son Rae (and Wilma) Runge of Leduc County, his daughter Fairilee (and Jon) Clermont of Red Deer, his daughter Melodie (and David) Rollins of Red Deer, his daughter Deanna Hall of Red Deer,  brothers Ernie of Vernon BC and Don (and Lynne) of Vulcan, sister in law Caroline of Red Deer, and brother in law Alec Jozsa of Lethbridge.  His family grew to include ten grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren, and many nephews and nieces.  John was predeceased by his wife Irene and his siblings George, Helen, Bill, Mary, Victor and Charlie.

John was born in Aneroid Saskatchewan on September 14, 1926.  The Runges later moved to the Pine Lake district where he was raised on the family farm.  Red Deer has been home to John since 1941 when he first came to town to attend high school.

Over the years John was successful in a series of diverse occupations, from construction to insurance sales.  He was employed for many years at Michener Center and Deerhome, first as a psychiatric nurse and then as a placement officer, which led him to create and operate Cosmos Enterprises Sheltered Workshop.

Dad had a passion for nature and the great outdoors.  He loved hunting, fishing, flying, farming, sailing, and camping.  In retirement he spent several years as a hunting guide in northern BC, panning for gold in the Yukon, and leading many legendary fly-in fishing expeditions to the North West Territories for friends and family.

Dad loved to organize and host large family gatherings where music, scrub baseball and good food were always on the agenda.  He enjoyed a friendly game of cards any time, and regular early morning meetings with “The Coffee Guys”.  He was a people person in every sense of the word, and is already greatly missed.

Helen Keller wrote, “All that we love deeply becomes part of us.”  We who knew and loved John will always carry him in our hearts.

• Date : 2020-07-20
• Location : Red Deer