Orville Ranum

Orville "Bud" W. Ranum passed away Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at his home in Boulder City, Nevada. He lived a full life to the age of 93. He was born on a cold winter day, in the farm house his father built, on the Eastern Plains of Colorado. He was the sixth child born to Simon and Mabel Ranum, the date was January 18, 1922. Although he was named after Orville Wright, he always went by the name of Bud. He grew up working the farm his family had near Wray, Colorado. Their home was a small 3 room house with no electricity or running water. Along with his parents he lived with an older brother: Oliver, two older sisters: Erma and Ulah, and two younger sisters: Blanche and Lorene. The Great Depression and then the Dust Bowl made it that Bud left home at 17 to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps. He sent what money he could back home to help support his parents and younger sisters, who were still living on the farm. Later he found other work in Denver, CO before joining the Army in 1942. He was shipped out to the Pacific and was stationed at bases in Australia, New Guinea, and finally Japan (after they surrendered) until he was discharged in December of 1945. He made his way to Las Vegas, NV the spring of 1946, to work in a cabinet shop for his brother-in-law, Phil Carson (Ulah's husband). In 1947 he got a job at the Bureau of Reclamation in Boulder City, NV and promptly moved to Boulder City where he lived for the rest of his life. It was at the Bureau where he met, and soon married Janice Abernethy, a red haired, blue eyed beauty from N. Carolina. They never had any children, but they did get a Siamese cat. At the age of 50 he retired and had a home built and outfitted exactly as they wanted. Janice retired around the same time and they began to travel and see the world. But in 1977, after returning from a trip to Hawaii it was discovered Janice had inoperable cancer and passed away not to soon afterwards. Bud never remarried, but later in life he had several lady friends, at separate times, who would travel with him to spots on the globe. Bud was active in community affairs and was generous to various charities. Besides traveling, he enjoyed reading and watching nature documentaries and science programs on TV. Bud was preceded in death by his wife Janice Abernethy Ranum, 1977, his brothers: Albert Ranum, 1917, and Oliver Ranum, 1974; and also by sisters: Opal Ranum, 1915, Ulah Carson, 1997, Erma Shivley, 2011, and Blanche Myers, February 2015. He is survived by his sister Lorene Ottosen, and numerous nephews and nieces, and their children. A memorial service will be held on Monday, Oct.12, at 2 p.m. at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Dr. Boulder City, NV 89005. Funeral arrangements are under the care of Boulder City Family Mortuary. Please sign the online memorial guestbook at www.bouldercityfamilymortuary.com.