09/16/2025
Beatrice Runnion
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Beatrice "Bee" Catherine Kriausky Runnion, a godly woman who loved the Lord, her family, her Church, her friends, and her country.
Bee was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1924 in Clymer, PA. She passed away on September 15, 2025. She was predeceased by her parents, Anthony Adam Kriausky (Kriauckas) (c. 1890-1973) and Anna Catherine Gudaitis (1891-1988), both of whom immigrated to the United States from Lithuania in the early 20th century. She is one of thirteen children.
She married Thomas Edwin "Ed" Runnion (1915-1988) on October 19, 1946, and they had two children who survive her, Fr. David A. Runnion, and Daniel T. Runnion, who is married to Fay McCord Runnion. Fay became like a daughter to Bee. Bee was blessed with grandchildren and their spouses whom she dearly loved, Andrew McCord Runnion and his wife Brittney, and Jennifer Louise Runnion Barozzini and her husband Michael. Precious great grandchildren are Blakely and Bradley Runnion, and Isabella and Violet Barozzini.
Bee attended Grammar School in Buck Run, PA, Clymer High School in Clymer, PA, and Cecil's Business School in Spartanburg, SC. During World War II, she served in the Women's Air Corps (c. 1944-45) as a Medical Surgical Technician and was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, TX, with time in Raleigh, NC and Spartanburg, SC. While at Greenville Army Air Base, Greenville, SC, she met her future husband, Ed Runnion, a sergeant in the US Army.
Bee and Ed, who was an insurance salesman, first made their home in Spartanburg, where their two sons were born (at Spartanburg General Hospital). When the family moved to Columbia, SC (c. 1953), she worked at Thompson Dental Company. After the family moved to Decatur, GA (in 1955), she worked at E. V. Camp Steel Mill, as Secretary to the owner. During a year of residence in Fort Lauderdale, FL (1958-59), she worked at the Police Department of the City of Fort Lauderdale. Upon returning to Decatur, GA (in 1959), she worked at State Farm Insurance Company as a Claims Adjuster, retiring after decades of service.
The first family-owned house was in Hunting Valley, Decatur GA. It was also her last and where she departed this life to be with the Lord. There she and Ed completed the raising of their sons, and she enjoyed often working and "piddling" (as she called it) in the yard. However, that entailed planting dozens of flowers, flowering bushes, and fruit trees, as well as tending her rose bushes, cutting the large lawn (until she was 91), and just enjoying being active outside in the yard.
While the family struggled financially for many years, nevertheless, Bee worked very hard and said: "We always went to church, and we knew God was in control." And, she passed on her deep faith in God to her children. In 2014, she celebrated her 90th Birthday, with the well-wishes of many dear family members and friends. Though her strength began failing, she celebrated her 100th birthday in 2025.
A life-long Roman Catholic, Bee was an active member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur, GA, for many decades. She had a devout sacramental and spiritual life, including attendance at daily Mass, lengthy times of personal prayer, reading the Bible, praying the Rosary, and interceding for the needs of others. In addition to being a daily communicant, she served as an Extraordinary Minister for the distribution of Holy Communion and Sacristan for daily and weekend Masses, and was a member of the Seniors Group. On January 10, 2009, when she was 84, the Atlanta Journal Constitution printed a feature article, with color photographs, about her service as Sacristan at St. Thomas More. Bee described that role as, "This is the Martha part," a reference to the Scripture scene where Mary sat listening to Jesus, while Martha did the serving preparations. When she could no longer drive or see well at night, she was often escorted by her son to the 4:00 Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Atlanta.
She was a longstanding member of the Charismatic Prayer Groups at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Atlanta, GA (Prayer Community of the Holy Spirit), and at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Stone Mountain, GA (Servants of the Lord Prayer Community). She served as a volunteer at North Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur, GA, for 25 years. Until she could no longer do so, she loved to walk every day - especially in Hunting Valley and environs - and was an active member of Road Runners in Dekalb County. She also enjoyed crocheting, reading, and playing card games on the computer, as well as watching "Columbo" and real-life crime programs.
Bee was afforded God's blessings and protection in many ways. For example, she was never late to work at State Farm in Marietta and always left Decatur like clockwork, to be at work on time. One morning, dressed, sitting in bed finishing her prayers, she could not keep her eyes opened. She asked the Lord to not let her be late for work, then she promptly fell asleep. When she awoke and headed to the Office, at North Druid Hills and Willivee Drive there were fire trucks wrapping up a terrible accident. It was right where she would have been if the Lord had not delayed her leaving home.
On another occasion, while she driving on the expressway, a tractor-trailer rig moved into her lane. Its front fender hit the side of her car, pushing it in front of the rig and turning it perpendicular to the front grill - without the truck driver's knowing it or seeing her car below. As smoke billowed from her four tires screeching sideways down the pavement, the truck driver slowed, then stopped to see what was going on. A policeman looking down from an overpass saw the truck pushing her car sideways down the expressway. He said that he amazed to see her just calmly holding the steering wheel. Bee later said that the Lord's peace enveloped her from beginning to end, and she was fine and never concerned. Later, though, she did become wary of expressways.
She constantly quoted Psalm 118, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24). Late in life when physical afflictions arose, she said "Thy will be done, Lord. Give me the grace to accept it." She was a strong prayer warrior and never failed to pray immediately for someone's intention and then continue praying until the matter was resolved. Her godly heart and servant's disposition have inspired many others, whether or not they knew her personally.
She would often tell each member of her family, "I love you very much," typically using the Lithuanian language that her parents had taught her: "Aš tave labai myliu."
The Vigil for the Deceased and Rosary will be prayed on Friday, September 19, at A. S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home at 6:00 pm, followed by visitation until 8:00 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 20, at 11:00 am, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Decatur, GA, with Bee's son Rev. David A. Runnion officiating and Msgr. Paul Fogarty concelebrating. The Rite of Committal and Interment, with military honors, will follow at Floral Hills Cemetery, Tucker, GA
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