On Monday, the National RV Dealers Association (RVDA) informed members that Joseph “Joe” Anthony Range, past RVDA chairman and founder of Range RV, died Saturday, March 29. He was 87 years old.
“Joe was a passionate advocate for RV dealers, was instrumental in the formation of CalRVDA and held many leadership positions in the national RVDA leading up to his term as chief volunteer leader. He laid the groundwork for many RVDA programs that have helped foster better relationships between industry stakeholders,” said RVDA President Phil Ingrassia.
Joe graduated from Del Norte High in Crescent City, California. His junior year of high school he met his wife, the late Cherie Range, and they married in 1957 in Biloxi, Mississippi, where Joe was stationed in the Navy and was soon transferred to Honolulu, Hawaii.
After his service was completed, they moved to San Jose, California, 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, California. In 1991, Range RV moved to the High Desert in Hesperia, California, 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 on Wednesday April 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, at Sunset Hills Mortuary, 24000 Waalew Rd, Apple Valley, California, 92307. A graveside service will occur at 1 p.m. followed by a reception. A complete obituary can be found here.
