Runge, Jr., Herman CarlHerman Carl Runge, Jr. (Carl) of Collinsville, Illinois passed away on December 31, 2016 surrounded by his wife and daughters. Carl was born on September 27, 1932 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to Herman Runge, Sr. and Clara Hertzberg Runge. He attended St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, received his B.A. from Grinnell College and law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Carl dedicated his life and work to defending the lives of others while living a life full of adventure, each day as if it were his last. Carl was a true renaissance man; an intellectual who played guitar and had perfect pitch, an avid sports fan (except baseball) and longtime season ticket holder of the St. Louis Blues. Carl loved cars, food, friends and drinks (ideally a PBR followed by whisky) and his barbeque would bring people for miles, especially his ribs, but more than anything he loved a debate, ideally a political one. Carl was fearless and his passion for adventure was evident young when in high school, he spent a summer working on fishing boats in Alaska and continued throughout his life when he received his certification to scuba dive at age 70 and co-steered a boat from St. Louis to Key Biscayne, Florida via the Mississippi river and its tributaries in 2002, exploring the locks, the Gulf of Mexico and the intercostal waterway. He was a lieutenant in the Air Force serving during the Korean War. After the war, he worked as an air traffic controller before earning his law degree. During law school, he sailed on Lake Mendota by day and he lived above and worked in a bar by night to pay for his tuition. From 1962-1968, Carl served as an attorney examiner working in the Administrative Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. After Bobby Kennedy became the Attorney General, he became one of the "Irish Mafia," a group of twelve lawyers who would travel three months at a time for Kennedy and then return to Washington, D.C. for three months. They traveled around the country including working on the Hoffa Squad in Detroit finding out if Jimmy O'Brien killed him. He enforced federal civil rights laws, as a special assistant in New Orleans, advocating for the first women and African Americans to be allowed on federal juries. He also worked in Jackson, Hattiesburg and Oxford, Mississippi, as well as Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Alabama including representing freedom riders when they were arrested. In 1964, he married Marla Case of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin in Memphis, Tennessee and together they lived in Detroit, St. Louis, Birmingham, New Orleans, Miami and the Canal Zone in Panama. He then served as a U.S. Attorney in Springfield, Illinois from 1968-1970. He practiced law in Collinsville, Illinois for forty years, opening his own practice in 1976, retiring in 2016, serving generations of families in Madison, St. Clair and Bond Counties. Carl's work also included representing the Collinsville Township for the last 12 years of his life. He had been member of the Ainad Shriners of Southern Illinois since 1978. He enjoyed spending time on Key Biscayne, Florida with his family including the July 4th parades and Christmas holidays. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Marla Case Runge; his daughters, Robin Runge, and Sarah Runge both of Washington, D.C.; his son-in-law Joseph Thornton, and his two grandchildren, Alexandra Runge Thornton and Jack Runge Thornton; his sister, Jeanne Davis, and his brother-in-law, Warren Davis of Tucson, Arizona. Carl may be gone, but the legend lives on. In lieu of flowers, donations in Carl's name may be made to the Collinsville Township Pauper Fund, 305 E. Main Street, Collinsville, IL 62234 or the at https://secure2.convio.net/shfc/site/Donation2;jsessionid=7E6B9DB2E7CBED8028FCB0382D90EB8E.app20101b?df_id=4689&4689.donation=form1. A memorial service reflecting Carl's style and celebrating his life will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Boogies, 2082 Vadalabene Dr., Maryville, IL 62062, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please bring your stories, your fond memories, and be prepared to share them. Dress is informal. We will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m.