As if knowing a bright spark of life had completed its journey, the sun shied away from the “Valley of the Sun” on February 5, 2024, leaving only grey clouds and rain to wash away tears and heartache to a family it had often shined upon for five decades. Jimmy Nelson Runzel, a 50-year resident of Ramona, California, passed away in his home surrounded by his family. His grounded resilience, and sense of humor, will be dearly missed by all.

Born in Alton, Kansas, on December 18, 1930, to Nelson and Amelia “Emma” Runzel, Jimmy was the tenth of eleven children. This meant that Jimmy quickly had to become self-reliant, innovative, and supportive, not only to his own needs, but to the family as well. Jimmy’s dad was a butcher who recently moved his growing family from Ellsworth, Kansas to Alton, and despite his own family’s hardships, would always be gracious to his neighbors by extending credit if they were unable to pay. Jimmy’s mother was a schoolteacher and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. It’s no wonder Jimmy (or “Jim” as he is widely regarded) is known for his willingness to help family, friends, and neighbors.

One of Jim’s earliest memories shared with us was around the age of three. In 1934, Kansas was plagued with severe dust storms we now know as The American Dust Bowl. Late one afternoon, the dust kicked up enough to darken even the summer sky. Jim, being carried by his mother, and with several of his siblings in tow, lost their visibility and had to use the picket fences of the neighboring houses as a form of brail to guide their way home. When they got home, all the windows and door frames had to have wet cloths placed in the seams to reduce the amount of dust that would enter the house. “Even with all the cracks stuffed with our socks and towels, it was as if being inside an hourglass watching the dust fall like sand from the ceiling to the floor,” Jim would say. “What’s more, my mother realized that I had only one shoe! The next day we went back out and found my shoe stuck between two of the wooden pickets on the neighbor’s fence.”

Jim’s charisma could rally all his siblings and friends for any game or afternoon adventure. Always with a quick wit and winsome smile, Jim would dupe his friends and siblings into a day of fishing, sliding down Slate Hill on cardboard sleds, or a nighttime round of Kick the Can out under the one and only streetlight at the nearby Main Street crossroads. It didn’t take long for the hardships of the 1930’s Great Depression to force Jim’s dad to close his butcher shop and move the family to nearby Osborne, Kansas. Jim maximized his days in Osborne with school in the morning, sports in the afternoon and stocking the shelves at the local 5-n-Dime, Duckwall’s, in the evening. Despite his antics, he loved each of his siblings fiercely. So much so, when his elder brothers, Harold, Kenneth, Alfred & Clair joined to fight in World War II he would practice his march until the day he was old enough to enlist.

That day had finally arrived a couple of months before his 19th birthday, but four years too late to join the fight. Regardless, Jim joined the US Navy Reserves in 1949. This was the opportunity to leave the land-locked home of Kansas and “see the world.” He served aboard the Aircraft Carrier, USS-Boxer in the Pacific, performing training exercises and dealing with the dangers of the flight deck as an Aviation Armament Ordinance Installer. A newer class of plane, the Grumman F9F Panther, would bring jet power to the decks of the “Boxer” mixed with the older propellered Vought F4U Corsair. Faster planes mean quicker reactions and Jim recalled how the wayward landing of a Panther Jet nearly took his head off with the landing gear. By Jim’s second tour, tensions rose in Korea, and he now found himself aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS-Bairoko sailing into Japanese waters. Jim would tell stories of how sometimes during aircraft recovery, a bomb would break free from under the wing and “skip” across the deck. Many times, he had to rush over and toss the loose ordinance overboard before it could detonate on deck. Flight deck fires from rough recoveries saw Jim acting as a secondary firefighter, as well, to ensure his fellow crew’s safety. By December 1953, He dropped anchor on his naval service in the port of San Diego with a ceremonious honorable discharge just before his 23rd birthday.

Jim loved San Diego and recognized the value of the fair-weather skies it had to offer. He saw no reason to return to the dry summers and frozen winters of the mid-west. Pulling from his childhood hobby of tinkering & skills acquired from the military, Jim began his career with the local power utility company, SDG&E, where after serving as a pole-climbing lineman, he worked his way up to becoming the Senior Draftsman in Substation Engineering & Design. Working in the power industry was electrifying, however, the greatest spark he ever felt was when he laid eyes on his future wife, Ruth Johnson of National City, California.

It was a blind date meeting in 1955 when Jim’s friend and co-worker, Bobbie Williams, introduced Jim to Ruth, who, by chance, was a co-worker of Bobbie’s fiancé, Ann Elsanker. Concurrently, these four longtime friends shared many adventures together, whether it be camping in the local mountains of San Diego, square dancing as the “Paradise 8’s” or even rock hunting in the San Diego deserts. It didn’t take long for this casual encounter to develop into a love affair that lasted for over 68 years. Jim and Ruth were married September 14, 1957, in a small ceremony in Paradise Hills, San Diego. Jim instantly became a favorite “Uncle” to many of Ruth’s nieces and nephews who lived locally in San Diego. Often, they would accompany the newlyweds on cross-country adventures to visit distant family members in Colorado, Iowa, or Michigan. When Jim and Ruth purchased a small ski boat, aptly nicknamed “RuJi’s Folly,” you could almost always find them on the shores of the San Diego Bay or Silver Strand with Ruth’s extended family. Jim and Ruth enjoyed their early years together as a honeymoon couple, but the time to settle and begin their own family became a priority.

It was Spring of 1964 when Jim and Ruth welcomed their first son, Rodney, to the family. Jim doted on his new son, and soon, he became the center of attention. Just before Rodney’s second birthday in 1966, another son, Robert, more often referred to as “Bobby”, came along to share in the love. With two boys and a solid career, Jim was really starting to feel like a family man. But Jim’s family wasn’t done growing. To their surprise, a third son, Steven, came along a year later and filled their hearts to capacity. Years of happiness followed, but Jim yearned for his boys to grow up in the country, just as he did decades earlier. The house on Cumberland Street was beginning to feel cramped, so Jim searched for the ideal compromise of country living, while simultaneously keeping the weather of San Diego and proximity to his wife’s close-knit family. The solution presented itself in the foothills of San Diego in a community referred to as the “Valley of the Sun,” Ramona, California.

The small house standing on Boundary Avenue welcomed Jim and his young family, in May of 1973, declaring “Ramona is more than a country community, it is a quaint reminder of your mid-western childhood.” Here, Jim introduced his boys to the joys of farming; planting fruit trees, raising livestock and endless summer days of adventure. Despite his daily long commute to work, Jim still found time to be a Scout Master, YMCA-Indian Guide Elder, Little League Coach, or 4-H Sponsor to his boys. Summers would see some long-distance adventures too, whether it be camping in Yosemite National Park or any nearby K.O.A campsite, annual trips to Disneyland and even visits to Jim’s brothers and sisters scattered across the Southwest. Jim always had his family on the move. As the boys grew, so did Jim’s need to be part of their lives. Always supportive of any venture, Jim was there to be either a financier or laborer, but the sun was setting on these family years and Jim was looking forward to retirement and spending time with his loving wife.

After four decades of dedicated employment, Jim retired from SDG&E on July 1, 1994. Picking up where they left off in their early honeymoon years, Jim and Ruth resumed their days of traveling again; traversing the United States to see the natural wonders wherever their trusty Toyota Camry could take them. Between trips, Jim would catch up with fellow retired colleagues, now referred to as “The Lunch Bunch” at their favorite barbeque joint in El Cajon. There, Jim would share stories of his travels and proudly show photos of the latest grandchild added to his legacy. Now, Grandpa Jim was gifting his childhood to another generation. Having a large property, the family gatherings would most often result in games of volleyball, croquet, softball, or lawn darts. The abundant outdoor sunshine and open space subsequently gave Jim the golden years he so desired.

Jimmy Nelson Runzel will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, of Ramona, California. His sons, Rodney of Ramona, California, and Steven of Carlsbad, California, and his brother, Richard, of Granville, Ohio. Six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents, Nelson and Emma Runzel, son, Robert “Bobby” Runzel, nine brothers and sisters. His humor and zest for life will forever be cherished by those who knew him. May he rest in peace.

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