Past RVDA Chairman Joe Range of Range RV Passes Away – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Past RVDA Chairman Joe Range of Range RV in Hesperia, Calif., has died at the age of 87, according to a message from the RV Dealers Association.
Joe graduated from Del Norte High in Crescent City, Calif. His junior year of high school he met his wife, the late Cherie Range, and they married in 1957 in Biloxi, Miss., where Joe was stationed in the Navy and was soon transferred to Honolulu.
After his service was completed, they moved to San Jose, Calif., where he worked for IBM as a Quality Control Technician. In 1971, he moved to Colorado and founded his own business, Range RV, selling travel trailers and motorhomes. In 1981 he added AMC/Jeep/Renault automobiles to his business.
In 1985, Joe relocated Range RV to Vista, Calif. In 1991, Range RV moved to the High Desert in Hesperia, Calif., where the business continues to operate by the second and third generations of his family.
Joe was a passionate advocate for RV dealers in his home state of California and across the nation. During his tenure on the RVDA Board of Directors, he worked on several industry initiatives, including drafting the first RVDA Model Dealer Agreement. For his extraordinary service to RVDA, in 2006 Joe was recognized with the James B. Summers Award, the organization’s highest volunteer honor.
He was also an advocate for Victor Valley College and served two terms on the Victor Valley College Board of Trustees. Joe and Cherie loved traveling in their motorhome. Joe was an avid pilot and owned several airplanes, but his favorite was his 1947 Navion.
Joe is survived by his children Terri (Chip), Douglas (Lorie) and Patti, eight grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, his brother-in-law, Chuck Nitz, and his two nieces.
A funeral service will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 23, at Sunset Hills Mortuary, 24000 Waalew Rd., Apple Valley, CA, 92307. A graveside service will occur at 1 p.m. followed by a reception.
A complete obituary can be found here.
