Brad Ranning

 

Brad Ranning, 68, of Grand Marais, died March 27, 2018, at North Shore Health.

Brad was born in Minneapolis to Gene and Laura (Larsen) Ranning. He spent many summers at his Uncle Henry and Aunt Evelyn’s in Grand Marais. Brad and his brother worked for their uncle in the woods. He decided then that he wanted to live here someday.

In 1967 he graduated from Roosevelt High School.

Following high school, Brad was drafted into the Army. After basic training he was sent to Vietnam where he was a scout dog handler. He was awarded a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. After returning to Minneapolis, he worked for the Minneapolis Airport Commission for two years. He was hired by the Minneapolis Fire Department and worked there for 20 years. He retired to spend more time with his family and to be able to fish in the summers and snowmobile and fish in the winters.

Brad was known for his kind and generous spirit and living life to the fullest. He was always willing to help anyone in need and did not expect anything in return for the kindness shown to others. He enjoyed spending time at the McFarland Lake cabin with his wife Karen and daughters as well as their grandson Alex. Alex loved being at the cabin and enjoyed countless visits and had many adventures with his “Bops.”

An avid and highly skilled woodworker, Brad enjoyed making many unique and beautiful creations from wood. He helped build countless log cabins and his talent with woodworking was used when Brad and Karen decided to have another log home built.

Brad enjoyed smoking fish and for a time he and Karen owned a smoked fish and seafood business in downtown Grand Marais. In later years he smoked fish again. He also used his smoker to experiment with bacon, chicken, turkeys and anything else he thought would taste good smoked. He gave much of it away. A favorite pastime was watching for and tracking the ships that he could see from his log home on Lake Superior.

Brad loved to fish but after his stroke he enjoyed going to the point and just watching the changes in the lake. He loved Lake Superior and after sitting there during a storm, watching the waves, he would come home and tell me he just had the car washed. Rocks and all.

Brad loved to cook and was also known for his ability to make many unique creations. His family would never know what “Bops” might have added to his dinners. Some were tasty; others were a mystery, and no one could be sure what combinations he may have put together in a dish. We still laugh about some of the unique meals he made.

His parents and his brother Steven preceded Brad in death. His loving wife of 35 years, Karen Kruger Ranning and three daughters, survive him. When Karen and Brad married he took on the role and responsibility of raising and being a parent to three girls. He was a man who loved them unconditionally. He is survived by daughters Shelly (Dallas) Starkey, Jennifer Speck (Ben Peters) and Nichole (Chad) DeRosier. He also loved his grandkids who called him Bops. He is survived by grandchildren Alex Schroeder, Nicholas LaVigne, Ashley Deschampe, Macey DeRosier, Morgan Starkey, Brooklyn DeRosier, Lucas Peters and Zachary DeRosier, mother-in-law Joyce Krueger, and his brothers Keith (Sharon) Ranning, Craig (Betty) Ranning, Jeff Ranning and sister Jeannie Marcom. He also has nieces, nephews, and many cousins. He is also survived by Aunts Evelyn Larsen, Nona Smith, Helene Smith and Marge Harris, and his Uncle Joe Cavalari.

A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held at the Birch Terrace on May 19 at 1 p.m.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of North Shore Health for keeping Brad comfortable during his last two days. Also we would like to thank his home health nurse Nathan Christianson and Dr. Terrill.

We will miss him, his sense of humor, love of family and his kindness. Our world has changed without him.