On Saturday afternoon, Oct. 27, Earl I. Runner 3rd, of Cuttingsville, Vt., known by his friends and family as Tersh, died due to the effects of a recent illness.

Tersh was born on Oct. 18, 1949 in New York city, to father Earl I. Runner and mother Faith H. Illava. His family traveled during his childhood, bringing Tersh and his sister, Faith “Hasty” Runner to encounter many new places and cultures, establishing his love of learning, knowledge and desire to be generous and open with the people he met throughout his life.

After many adventures as a young man, He returned to Westport, Conn., a town where he spent much of his youth, and where he and his former wife, Martha Caruso, chose to raise their family. Tersh and Martha had two sons, Samuel S. and Benjamin P. Runner.

The Runner family home was a place of learning, artistry and invention. Tersh loved to teach by experience; a fine woodworker, he helped his sons design and build projects, including dioramas, machines and their childhood treehouse. The boys recall the honest and thoughtful manner in which their dad would respond to their questions and the way he taught them to appreciate art, craft and nature.

Tersh was an artist, a collector, an admirer of beautiful things, a master carpenter, a writer and a lifelong scholar of history and cultures. He was deeply curious about nature and the universe. He was a gentle soul who was kind and respectful to others. He cared intensely about justice and fairness for all living things and lived his life accordingly. He will be dearly and deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to be touched by his life.

He is survived by his two loving sons, Samuel S. Runner, of Hartland, Vt., and Benjamin P. Runner, of West Tisbury; by Benjamin’s wife, Rose Campbell Runner, their two children, Benjamin Jr. Runner and Ivy Runner; and by Sam’s wife, Jackie Runner. Tersh was also survived by his sister, Faith (Hasty) Runner; and Martha Caruso, his former wife and the mother of his children.

Tersh was cherished by his best friend, comrade and life partner, Sharon T. Gardiner; the two knew each other for nearly 50 years. He was deeply loved by Sharon’s family, and by her daughter, Raleigh Gardiner.

Tersh loved reading and volunteered at the Shrewsbury Library. His family and friends request that all donations made in Tersh’s memory please be directed to the Shrewsbury Library, located at 98 Town Hill Rd, Shrewsbury, VT 05738.

A memorial service for Tersh Runner will be held on Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. at the Shrewsbury Library.