Ronald H. Reiland

Ronald Harry Reiland passed away peacefully on June 4, 2024, just shy of his 90th birthday. He was born in East Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Harry and Louise (nee Kurtz) Reiland. A coal miner’s son, Ron never walked away from hard work: As a young teen he picked cherries, caddied at the local country club, set pins at the bowling alley and bagged groceries. Following high school, he enlisted in the Marines and was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. On weekends, he and his buddies headed to Milwaukee to attend dances. He fell in love with the beauty of Wisconsin, and on first sight, Carole (nee Schmidt)—who he took for a spin at the Eagles Club—and never looked back. Ron and Carole were married 67 years.

Ron had a 38 year career at Rexnord, attending college at night to work his way up into management. Ron was an enthusiastic golfer, patient fisherman, persistent hunter and passionate gardener—he was especially fond of his raspberry patch. Ron loved sweets-especially cherry pie and anything Carole made with berries. He loved beer-the darker the better. He loved all things outdoors, taking his young family skiing, camping and bear watching! Ron was a self-taught handyman—there wasn’t a home project he wouldn’t tackle. A competitive card player, Ron played sheepshead until shortly before his death. Ron and Carole traveled extensively but he never found a place more beautiful than the United States, specifically Door County and Minocqua. He was a true patriot, teaching his own and neighborhood children the proper way to retire a flag. A man of few words, Ron took great pride in his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Carole and their 5 children: Jennie (Michael) Soika and their children Jacob (Johanna O’Boyle) Soika and Rachel (Mike) Lange; Jim (Joy Rogalla); Jeff (Cindy) and their children Zachary, Hannah (James) Smith and Ben; Julie (Phil Tau) and her children Caity (Ezra) Thompson, Carolyn (Kyle) Hanish, Ian and Nathan, Jill (Peter) Machi and their children Maria and Grace. He adored his great-grandchildren Finn O’Boyle, Ava Soika, Cameron Smith, Sloane Lange and Landen Smith. Ron was preceded in death by his parents, siblings Hank and Claire and beloved in-laws. He is further survived by family, dear neighbors and friends. 

A special thank you to Anika from Right At Home Hospice for her tender, respectful care.

Visitation will be held at 9:00am on Saturday, July 6, 2024 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 2400 WI-59, Waukesha, WI. Memorial mass to follow at 10:00am with Military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to Waukesha Catholic Schools (waukeshacatholic.org) or Tunnel to Towers (t2t.org).