DETERS, Ronald T. 1933-2010
DETERS, BROWN, ANKRUM
Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 9/8/2010 at 16:50:49
Ronald Thomas Deters, 77, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on June 13, 2010.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 17, 2010, at Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. Burial will be in the Shiloh Cemetery at Wellsburg. Visitation will be on Wednesday evening from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A memorial fund is being established. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com . Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Ron and his family.
Born on May 16, 1933 to William and Nellie Deters on a farm near Wellsburg, Iowa, Ron was a Corporal in the U.S. Army, E Company, 17th Infantry, 2nd Batallion, for three years, serving on the front lines in Korea. He was eligible for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, but felt he did not deserve it, as he was wounded by shrapnel, which is still in his leg, rather than by a bullet.
He was Quartermaster of the Marshalltown Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 839 for 11 years and in charge for 8 years of both the Color Guard, which marched at Marshalltown area parades, and the Honor Guard, which performed 21-gun salutes for military funerals and Memorial Day ceremonies.
Ron was an avid hunter, trapper, and fisherman – the consummate outdoorsman. He loved puttering around his acreage, raising chickens, and being with his many beloved dogs throughout his life. He volunteered as a Boy Scout Leader and achieved the rank of Boy Scout Life Scout as a young man, always regretting that his leader had moved away so he could not complete his Eagle Scout rank. Boy Scouts taught him livesaving skills, which he employed as a young teen on the farm, saving his 8 year-old brother’s life. Ron loved spending Sundays with his family, played slow pitch, and was an Iowa Hawkeyes fan.
Ron was raised on a farm near Wellsburg, Iowa, active in 4-H and working on the farm with his dad and brothers, graduating from Wellsburg High School in 1950. After returning from his military service in Korea, he married Elinor Brown of Eldora in 1956. He farmed with his father, then went to school in Minneapolis to become a station agent for the M & St. L Railroad and the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. He worked in that capacity in Minnesota until he and his family moved to Sioux City, where he worked as an accountant for Murphy Motor Freight Lines and Quaker Oats, then began his occupation as a clerk with the U.S. Post Office. He longed to be outdoors, so soon attained a position as letter carrier in Marshalltown, thrilled to be back in Central Iowa near his family. He retired from the U.S. Post Office in 1992. He married Diane Ankrum of Marshalltown in 1994.
Ron (Ronnie) is survived by his wife, Diane, and four daughters, Karen Deters of Ankeny, Wendy Hernandez of Marshalltown, Heather Renaud (Elston) of Sully, and Rochelle Deters of Marshalltown; brothers Rodney Deters and Wallace Deters of Wellsburg, and sister Mildred Knutson of Eldora; grandchildren Briana, Brett, Jose, Allen, Alicia, Allison, and Sara; great-grandchildren Emilio, Caleb, Alexandria, Natalia, Alayna, Aleigha, Aundraya, and Austin; mother-in-law Esther Ankrum; step-children Chris and Jenny; step grandchildren Aaron, Dylan, and Madison, and many cousins and nieces and nephews.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents, William and Nellie Deters, two grandchildren, Willie and Mystique, sister-in-law Inez Deters, and father-in-law Darrell Ankrum.
--Mitchell Funeral Home (www.mitchellfh.com)
Grundy Obituaries maintained by Tammy D. Mount.
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