Ron Runyan was born May 2, 1923 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and passed away on April 27, 2012 in Boise, Idaho. He was the oldest of three children by Frank and Louise (Fedji) Runyan.
His sister, Donna Potter and brother, Floyd Runyan, survive him. His family moved to Sydney, Montana where he completed his high school education.
During the Depression the family moved to the Oregon coast. His childhood contributed to his lifelong traits of hard work and perseverance.
Despite the war and Depression, the family was dedicated to education and Ron attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Along with his academic achievements, he excelled at football, basketball, and ran the mile and two mile. In 1943 he was the NW Conference Champion at both of those distances.
During this period he enrolled in the Navy officer training program and was called to duty as a junior officer in the last year of WWII. He was assigned to the Pacific theater, on some occasions transporting American prisoners of war back to safety. This experience, he recounted, deeply affected his appreciation of the human spirit.
At Willamette, he met Mary East and after completing his military service, Mary and Ron were married in 1946 and remained so until her passing in 2003. Ron received his MA from Willamette University in 1955 and earned a PHD at the University of Idaho in 1973.
After graduation, Ron accepted a teaching and basketball coaching job in Ontario, Oregon. In 1951 he relocated to Boise, Idaho where he continued his teaching and coaching career. In 1955 he became the Boise School District Athletic and Physical Education Director. He was a firm believer in full access for all to sports and dance and in 1963 the Boise program was recognized as one of the ten best in the U.S.
In 1974 he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Finance for the Boise Public Schools. He held this position through his retirement in 1984.
Ron also served in the Air National Guard and retired in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His career was distinguished by hard work and a commitment to excellence.
He served on numerous Boards and committees, including the Governors Committee for Physical Fitness, Chamber of Commerce civic affairs committee and as a Director of the Ore-Ida Boy Scouts. He was honored with the Statesman Distinguished Citizen Award in 1968, recognition as the N.W. Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1973 and he was inducted into the Idaho Education Hall of Fame in 1985.
Ron was an avid golfer, passionate bird hunter and fisherman. He routinely had his children pack the station wagon on Friday to get a head start on camping trips. He was a committed BSU and Mariners fan and a loyal follower of the sport of kings.
Ron had a great sense of humor and a neverending will to find the positive in any situation.
Ron and Mary are survived by their four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Joseph Runyan and his children Zac (Grace), Seneca Bivens (Kevin), Zetdi and Zabeth; Kip Runyan and his wife, Cheryl and their children, Nate (Kimi), Chris (Kat) and Joe; Rebecca Runyan and her daughter, Serena, and Robert Runyan and his wife, Gwen and their daughters, Cassidy and Hallie; and five great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday May 4th at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.
His sister, Donna Potter and brother, Floyd Runyan, survive him. His family moved to Sydney, Montana where he completed his high school education.
During the Depression the family moved to the Oregon coast. His childhood contributed to his lifelong traits of hard work and perseverance.
Despite the war and Depression, the family was dedicated to education and Ron attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Along with his academic achievements, he excelled at football, basketball, and ran the mile and two mile. In 1943 he was the NW Conference Champion at both of those distances.
During this period he enrolled in the Navy officer training program and was called to duty as a junior officer in the last year of WWII. He was assigned to the Pacific theater, on some occasions transporting American prisoners of war back to safety. This experience, he recounted, deeply affected his appreciation of the human spirit.
At Willamette, he met Mary East and after completing his military service, Mary and Ron were married in 1946 and remained so until her passing in 2003. Ron received his MA from Willamette University in 1955 and earned a PHD at the University of Idaho in 1973.
After graduation, Ron accepted a teaching and basketball coaching job in Ontario, Oregon. In 1951 he relocated to Boise, Idaho where he continued his teaching and coaching career. In 1955 he became the Boise School District Athletic and Physical Education Director. He was a firm believer in full access for all to sports and dance and in 1963 the Boise program was recognized as one of the ten best in the U.S.
In 1974 he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Finance for the Boise Public Schools. He held this position through his retirement in 1984.
Ron also served in the Air National Guard and retired in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His career was distinguished by hard work and a commitment to excellence.
He served on numerous Boards and committees, including the Governors Committee for Physical Fitness, Chamber of Commerce civic affairs committee and as a Director of the Ore-Ida Boy Scouts. He was honored with the Statesman Distinguished Citizen Award in 1968, recognition as the N.W. Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1973 and he was inducted into the Idaho Education Hall of Fame in 1985.
Ron was an avid golfer, passionate bird hunter and fisherman. He routinely had his children pack the station wagon on Friday to get a head start on camping trips. He was a committed BSU and Mariners fan and a loyal follower of the sport of kings.
Ron had a great sense of humor and a neverending will to find the positive in any situation.
Ron and Mary are survived by their four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Joseph Runyan and his children Zac (Grace), Seneca Bivens (Kevin), Zetdi and Zabeth; Kip Runyan and his wife, Cheryl and their children, Nate (Kimi), Chris (Kat) and Joe; Rebecca Runyan and her daughter, Serena, and Robert Runyan and his wife, Gwen and their daughters, Cassidy and Hallie; and five great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday May 4th at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.
Ron Runyan was born May 2, 1923 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and passed away on April 27, 2012 in Boise, Idaho. He was the oldest of three children by Frank and Louise (Fedji) Runyan.
His sister, Donna Potter and brother, Floyd Runyan, survive him. His family moved to Sydney, Montana where he completed his high school education.
During the Depression the family moved to the Oregon coast. His childhood contributed to his lifelong traits of hard work and perseverance.
Despite the war and Depression, the family was dedicated to education and Ron attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Along with his academic achievements, he excelled at football, basketball, and ran the mile and two mile. In 1943 he was the NW Conference Champion at both of those distances.
During this period he enrolled in the Navy officer training program and was called to duty as a junior officer in the last year of WWII. He was assigned to the Pacific theater, on some occasions transporting American prisoners of war back to safety. This experience, he recounted, deeply affected his appreciation of the human spirit.
At Willamette, he met Mary East and after completing his military service, Mary and Ron were married in 1946 and remained so until her passing in 2003. Ron received his MA from Willamette University in 1955 and earned a PHD at the University of Idaho in 1973.
After graduation, Ron accepted a teaching and basketball coaching job in Ontario, Oregon. In 1951 he relocated to Boise, Idaho where he continued his teaching and coaching career. In 1955 he became the Boise School District Athletic and Physical Education Director. He was a firm believer in full access for all to sports and dance and in 1963 the Boise program was recognized as one of the ten best in the U.S.
In 1974 he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Finance for the Boise Public Schools. He held this position through his retirement in 1984.
Ron also served in the Air National Guard and retired in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His career was distinguished by hard work and a commitment to excellence.
He served on numerous Boards and committees, including the Governors Committee for Physical Fitness, Chamber of Commerce civic affairs committee and as a Director of the Ore-Ida Boy Scouts. He was honored with the Statesman Distinguished Citizen Award in 1968, recognition as the N.W. Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1973 and he was inducted into the Idaho Education Hall of Fame in 1985.
Ron was an avid golfer, passionate bird hunter and fisherman. He routinely had his children pack the station wagon on Friday to get a head start on camping trips. He was a committed BSU and Mariners fan and a loyal follower of the sport of kings.
Ron had a great sense of humor and a neverending will to find the positive in any situation.
Ron and Mary are survived by their four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Joseph Runyan and his children Zac (Grace), Seneca Bivens (Kevin), Zetdi and Zabeth; Kip Runyan and his wife, Cheryl and their children, Nate (Kimi), Chris (Kat) and Joe; Rebecca Runyan and her daughter, Serena, and Robert Runyan and his wife, Gwen and their daughters, Cassidy and Hallie; and five great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday May 4th at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.
His sister, Donna Potter and brother, Floyd Runyan, survive him. His family moved to Sydney, Montana where he completed his high school education.
During the Depression the family moved to the Oregon coast. His childhood contributed to his lifelong traits of hard work and perseverance.
Despite the war and Depression, the family was dedicated to education and Ron attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Along with his academic achievements, he excelled at football, basketball, and ran the mile and two mile. In 1943 he was the NW Conference Champion at both of those distances.
During this period he enrolled in the Navy officer training program and was called to duty as a junior officer in the last year of WWII. He was assigned to the Pacific theater, on some occasions transporting American prisoners of war back to safety. This experience, he recounted, deeply affected his appreciation of the human spirit.
At Willamette, he met Mary East and after completing his military service, Mary and Ron were married in 1946 and remained so until her passing in 2003. Ron received his MA from Willamette University in 1955 and earned a PHD at the University of Idaho in 1973.
After graduation, Ron accepted a teaching and basketball coaching job in Ontario, Oregon. In 1951 he relocated to Boise, Idaho where he continued his teaching and coaching career. In 1955 he became the Boise School District Athletic and Physical Education Director. He was a firm believer in full access for all to sports and dance and in 1963 the Boise program was recognized as one of the ten best in the U.S.
In 1974 he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Finance for the Boise Public Schools. He held this position through his retirement in 1984.
Ron also served in the Air National Guard and retired in 1972 as a Lieutenant Colonel. His career was distinguished by hard work and a commitment to excellence.
He served on numerous Boards and committees, including the Governors Committee for Physical Fitness, Chamber of Commerce civic affairs committee and as a Director of the Ore-Ida Boy Scouts. He was honored with the Statesman Distinguished Citizen Award in 1968, recognition as the N.W. Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1973 and he was inducted into the Idaho Education Hall of Fame in 1985.
Ron was an avid golfer, passionate bird hunter and fisherman. He routinely had his children pack the station wagon on Friday to get a head start on camping trips. He was a committed BSU and Mariners fan and a loyal follower of the sport of kings.
Ron had a great sense of humor and a neverending will to find the positive in any situation.
Ron and Mary are survived by their four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Joseph Runyan and his children Zac (Grace), Seneca Bivens (Kevin), Zetdi and Zabeth; Kip Runyan and his wife, Cheryl and their children, Nate (Kimi), Chris (Kat) and Joe; Rebecca Runyan and her daughter, Serena, and Robert Runyan and his wife, Gwen and their daughters, Cassidy and Hallie; and five great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday May 4th at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to a favorite charity.
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