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Online Obituaries for the Indianapolis IN Area

Virginia "Giny" Esther Runge

November 01, 1920 - December 13, 2011

In Loving Memory of

Virginia "Giny" Esther Runge

Virginia “Giny” Esther Runge was born at home in Jasper, Indiana on Nov. 1, 1920 to Helen and Herschel Johnson. She lived in Petersburg, Indiana until 1936 when her family [now including a sister, Dixie Charlotte (Chy)] moved to Indianapolis.

She graduated from Shortridge High School in 1938 and then attended Butler University. She worked at the war bond and payroll sections at Fort Benjamin Harrison where she met Eugene (Gene) Braun at a dance in 1943. They married at the Sacred Heart Church in New Orleans on April 15, 1944. Ginny and son, Mike accompanied Gene to the Philippines after WW2.

In 1949, they returned to Indianapolis where son, David was born. Subsequent military transfers took the family to Albany, New York where son, Tim was born; to Newport News, Virginia where daughter, Beverly was born; and to Bremerhaven, Germany where daughter, Beth was born. The family moved to Wilmington, Delaware in 1958 and then to Dallas, Texas in 1960. While in Dallas, Virginia worked as a cosmetic consultant for Vivian Woodard and applied makeup for contestants at the Junior Miss America Pageant. In 1963, Gene was stationed in Vietnam and the rest of the family moved back to Indianapolis. Upon Gene’s return in 1964, the family again moved to Newport News where Ginny worked as a dental assistant. Following retirement in 1967, Gene headed the Far East Division of Atlas Van Lines and the family moved to Bangkok, Thailand for two years. The family later moved to Palos Verdes, California for a year and then to West Covina in 1970. Gene and Ginny divorced in 1973. Ginny moved to Spencer, Indiana where she helped her sister, Chy (and husband Bob O'Rourke) with their craft store. Ginny moved back to West Covina, California with daughter, Beverly. Ginny met Otto Ted Runge in 1978 at the Star Dust Ballroom (where Dancing with the Stars is now filmed) and they married in 1979. She worked at Standard Brands Paint & Wallpaper and a health food store. Ginny was widowed in 1991 when she moved to Martinsville, Indiana and later to Petersburg, Indiana and then to Newburgh, Indiana. She moved again to Newport Ritchie, Florida and later to Sequim, Washington to be near her sons.

She went skydiving at the ages of 85 and 87 in Tucson, Arizona where both memorable events were televised. She then moved to Louisville, Kentucky and lived at the Masonic Home at Adam's Hall. She moved in with daughter, Beverly and went skydiving once more at age 89 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

She was diagnosed with stage 4 Lymphoma in 2011 and died at home on 13 December 2011. She wants to be remembered as a good mother and hopes she left her children with "a laugh in our hearts."

She leaves behind her five children, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was and always will be a remarkable woman.