Richard Francis de Ranitz was born 16 July 1943 in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin to Sidney Sebastian and Thelma Mary (Holzmeister) de Ranitz. He had one younger sister, Mary Agnes de Ranitz and a younger brother, Thomas Peter de Ranitz. Richard attended Saint John's Grade School in Prairie du Chien (1949-57), Campion Preparatory School, Prairie du Chien (1957-58), Holy Cross High School Seminary, LaCrosse (1958-59), and Prairie du Chien Public High School from which he graduated in 1961. Seeking a call to religious life and the Dominican Order, Richard made application and was accepted to study in the Fall of 1961 at Loras College, Smyth Hall, in Dubuque, Iowa in preparation to join the Order. He was received into the Order at Saint Peter Martyr Priory in Winona, Minnesota on 15 August 1963 and given the Dominican habit and religious name Justin. He professed his first vows on 16 August 1964 at Saint Peter Martyr Priory and his final vows on 16 August 1967 at Saint Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest, Illinois. He continued his studies for the priesthood (1964-70) at Aquinas Institute, School of Philosophy in River Forest and School of Theology in Dubuque, Iowa. He was ordained on 16 May 1970 at Saint Rose of Lima Priory in Dubuque by Archbishop James J. Byrne. He continued his studies after ordination and received a Master of Art's degree in Communications from the University of Minnesota- Minneapolis in 1973.

Father de Ranitz's first assignment was to Saint Albert the Great Parish in Minneapolis as the associate pastor (1971-73) and later as the pastor (1973-76). Dick (as he was known in the Order) had a passion for preaching which led him to use his Communications degree into a full-time itinerant preaching ministry which he did for most of his ministerial life. He was director of the Office of Indian Ministry in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis from 1982-84. His preaching ministry began in 1976 and continued through 2006. In addition to his preaching ministry he was Associate Director of the Dominican Shrine of Jude in Chicago, Illinois from 1992-2006. He also lived and worked out of the Friends of God Dominican Ashram in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 2003-06. Experiencing some major difficulties in life, he was no longer able to minister. He was assigned to a house for religious priests and brothers in Dittmer, Missouri where he lived out the rest of his life.

Father de Ranitz was an accomplished classical guitarist as well as classical pianist. He

played mainly for his own enjoyment and rarely in public. He became a contemplative in the later part of his life and studied many of the mystics and Eastern writers. He also studied the marshal art of Tai Chi, in which he became a master and teacher of this art form.

On the evening of 12 December 2018, the provincial received a call that Dick had died. When he did not show up for dinner, members of his community went to check on him and found him dead in his room. At the time of his death, he was survived by one brother, Thomas de Ranitz of Minneapolis and one sister, Mary de Ranitz and her husband Marc Natelsky of Arizona. Services were held at Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in River Forest, Illinois on Tuesday, 18 December 2018 beginning with sung Morning Prayer at 9:00AM followed by visitation with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00AM. Father James V. Marchionda, O.P., Prior Provincial, presided at the Mass and Father Donald Goergen, O.P., preached. A reception was held at Kyte Hall at Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish. Burial was at the Dominican Plot at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois. Funeral arrangements were handled by Smith Corcoran Funeral Home in Chicago.