Ron Spengler (1948-2013)

SPENGLER, HOWELL, HROMATKO, RANSOM, TREADWAY

Posted By: Darcy Schultz - volunteer (email)
Date: 9/22/2013 at 02:12:53

Ron Spengler
BORN: July 1, 1948
DIED: August 17, 2013

Ron Spengler, age 65, of Ocheyedan, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation will be Thursday, August 22, 2013 from 2:00 to 8:00 P.M. with the family present from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. at the Andringa Funeral Chapel in Ocheyedan.
Private Memorial Services and Burial will be at a later date.
In Lieu of Flowers, Memorials may be given to Osceola County Conservation Board.

Ronald R. Spengler was born on July 1, 1948 in Sibley, Iowa. He was the son of Bernard and Phyllis (Howell) Spengler. He lived his youth in Ocheyedan, Iowa, and went to high school at St. Joseph's Military Academy in Hayes, Kansas. He attended Worthington Junior College, where he obtained his Associates Degree.
Ron served in the United States Navy and was trained by the Green Beret Special Forces to be in the Special Forces Unit. He served with "Under Water Warfare Group 3" and was a member of the team called "Sea Cobras", which was an ambush team that would seek, destroy and capture the enemy during his tour in Vietnam. He was medically evacuated to Cam Ranh Bay with malaria and later reassigned to Operation Sea Float in the Delta Region. He returned to the United States after being Honorably Discharged.
Following his military service, Ron attended the University of Montana, where he received his Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology. In 1978, he was employed as the Osceola County Conservation Director. He was united in marriage to Kathleen Marie Hromatko of Ocheyedan, Iowa on July 23, 1983 in Granite Falls, Minnesota on a pontoon in the Minnesota River. They lived in Ocheyedan. Ron retired on June 30, 2010, after serving Osceola County for 31 years. He was a volunteer member of the Ocheyedan Fire Department for 21 years.
Ron was a passionate outdoorsman. He loved to trap, hunt, fish, and teach others about wildlife and native prairie. Ron had a special talent for writing grants, and through this process, acquired many wildlife areas for Osceola County. During his career, Ron acquired over 2,000 acres of land for Osceola County, and transformed a local farmstead into Willow Creek's nature center, class room, and lodge. Ron always emphasized the importance of the Osceola County Board members through these processes.
Ron passed away on Saturday, August 17, 2013 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Those left to cherish his memories are his wife of 30 years, Kathy Spengler of Ocheyedan, IA; his son Daniel Eric Spengler and special friend Cailin Odle of Ocheyedan, IA; his daughter Jennifer Lorene and husband Ryan Ransom of Sioux City, IA; sister Mimi and husband John Treadway of Naples, FL and her children Ronnie, Renae and Eric; mother-in-law Margaret Hromatko of Ocheyedan, IA.
He was preceded in death by his parents Bernard and Phyllis and father-in-law Leroy Hromatko.

Source: Andringa Funeral Home, Ocheyedan, IA