Leroy Joseph Runey, Jr.

LeRoy Joseph Runey, Jr., 79, of Charleston, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 5, 2018. The relatives and friends of LeRoy Joseph Runey, Jr., are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 PM Monday, December 10, 2018, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1695 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd., Charleston. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends prior to the funeral beginning at 11:00 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Roy was born in Charleston on June 9, 1939, to LeRoy Joseph Runey, Sr. and Alma Branford Runey. He graduated from Bishop England High School in 1957 and Tulane University in 1961. After graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and served for ten years. After leaving the Navy, he went to work at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, where he was a Job Classification Specialist for 25 years.

Words cannot adequately describe the impact Roy had on those around him. He was the most giving and selfless man to everyone he met. He was a devoted husband and father who medically cared for his wife for the past thirty years. Roy was an avid do-it-yourselfer. While most people rearrange furniture, he rearranged walls. He loved to build, woodwork, and golf. He had a passion for crossword puzzles, completing them daily in ink. Roy was an inspiration to all who knew him.

Roy is survived by his wife of 55 years, Diane Guptill Runey; his two children: LeRoy Joseph “Joey” Runey, III (Jennifer) of Charleston and Michelle Marie Taylor (Michael) of Swansboro, NC; his seven grandchildren: Michael Charles Taylor, Jr., Kevin Edward Van Notric, Jr., Whitney Leigh Runey, Andrew Joseph Taylor, Sarah Ashley Runey, Emily Elizabeth Runey, and Ryleigh Elizabeth Taylor, one great-grandchild, Emory Leigh Runey, and his 2 sisters: Barbara Runey Detyens and Joan Runey Croghan. Roy is now reunited with his daughter, Cheryl Whitney Runey Van Notric, and his sister Patricia Runey Rowland.