Carole J. Runyan

STUART, FLA. – Carole J. Runyan, 85, died Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, at the home of her daughter, Jeanne Henneman, after a lengthy illness. Carole was born Feb. 2, 1935, in Warren, the daughter of the late Ivan and Ethel Rufener Smith. Carole was a 1952 graduate of Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ohio. She worked many years at Trumbull Savings and Loan in Niles and Howland before retiring. She and her husband, Norman, split time between Niles and South Florida, then lived in Bazetta Township. She attended the First United Methodist Church of Warren. Carole was described by her high school classmate as having a bubbly personality and “unending smiles, ” traits that continued throughout her life. She was pleasant, conscientious and thorough in her work, then went home to feed and nurture her family, including four children. She was a good listener and loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother whose primary interest was her family. She treasured her parents, sister and brother and enjoyed remembering the hardware stores her father ran and the work her parents did at the children's home in Ashtabula County. Survivors include her children, Jeanne (Doyle) Henneman of Stuart, Fla., Becky (Stan) Lancey of Cortland, and Ed (Andrea) Runyan of Warren; seven grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; a sister, Joanne (Calvin) Runyan of Geneva and a brother, Robert W. (Kathy) Smith of Sarasota, Fla., and many nieces and nephews. Her husband, Norman N. Runyan, whom she married March 21, 1954, died died Aug. 7, 2015. Carole also was preceded in death by her parents and a son, Russell N. (Rhodi) Runyan, who died June 17, 2016. Because of the pandemic, there will be no services at this time. A memorial service will be held in the spring or summer. Mrs. Runyan will be laid to rest in Oakdale Cemetery in Jefferson.