Raymond DeMar Runnells – Entrepreneur, Provider, and Dreamer

Born in Eureka, Utah, Raymond DeMar Runnells grew up during the hardships of the Great Depression and carried with him a lifelong habit of hard work and determination. Throughout his life, he tried his hand at nearly every job imaginable to provide for his family. He sold insurance, worked as a newspaper reporter, mined in the mountains, drove buses, managed apartments, picked fruit, played music, and even spent time in the desert spraying crickets. He often joked that if you lay down for a nap after lunch, the crickets would eat your belt—a memory that stuck with his children.

Raymond loved baseball, boxing, wrestling, car races, fishing, and hunting. But above all, he loved finding ways to provide, to build, and to create.

In the late 1940s, while looking for new opportunities, Raymond leased a small hardware store in Granger from local landowner George Anast. Located on 3500 South, about a mile west of Redwood Road, it became known as Granger Hardware and Appliance. At that time, it was the only hardware store in Granger, and Raymond quickly built it into a successful community business. The store sold hardware, plumbing supplies, small appliances, and furniture. His wife Cleo, his daughter, and his sister Laverne Williams all helped run the shop. Even his young son had a corner of the store, selling model airplanes from a display case.

Christmas Eve was the busiest day of the year, and Raymond often recalled the excitement of one holiday season when sales reached nearly $500 in a single day—a fortune in the late 1940s. The family lived in a modest three-room apartment attached to the back of the store, making the business truly a family endeavor. Eventually, competition from the new North Jordan Builder’s Supply, built just across the street, caused business to decline.

Undaunted, Raymond opened a new venture: A-Ray Rents, a rental business for tools, garden machinery, and motor scooters. The clever name—with “A” placed in front—was designed to ensure the business would be listed first in the telephone directory. The shop sat next door to the family’s new home at 2055 West 3500 South, a house Raymond and Cleo built themselves. The home reflected their pride: the wrought-iron porch supports were custom made with “Ray” and “Cleo” woven into the design.

Raymond was also inventive, trying ventures like a backyard “worm ranch” to raise and sell fishing worms. Though thousands of worms mysteriously disappeared overnight, his willingness to try something new never left him.

After closing A-Ray Rents, Raymond went to work for Thorsen Tool Company. He traveled extensively across the western United States with Cleo at his side, selling tools from a specially outfitted van that served as a mobile showroom. The job combined two things he loved—meeting people and traveling—and he earned commendation for his success.

Throughout his life, Raymond was admired for his friendliness, optimism, and determination. He had a way with people, and nearly everyone who met him liked him. He was a man who never stopped working, never stopped dreaming, and never stopped finding ways to provide.

Raymond Runnells: From Granger Hardware to A-Ray Rents