Ronald V. Rydberg

Ronald V. Rydberg “Ron” of Waukesha died unexpectedly on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at Waukesha Memorial Hospital at the age of 79. He was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on February 9, 1940 the son of Clel Vernon and Doris (nee Strayer) Rydberg. On May 1, 1965 he married Kathleen Maher in Shenandoah, Iowa. Ron attended Hastings College in Nebraska before graduating with his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State in 1962. He worked for the United States Forest Service for 38 years starting his career as a forest surveyor before moving to the human resources department until his retirement. As a young boy he loved riding his horse Flika, playing with his dogs, Skippy and Champ, and hunting. As a teenager, his life turned to sports. He was a 4 sport letterman, as a Shenandoah Mustang, in football, basketball, track, and baseball (he always remembered the exhilaration of being on the mound, facing a guy with a bat, and getting him out.) As a father, he coached his sons and many Waukesha kids in soccer, baseball, and basketball. He was an avid supporter of his sons’ and Waukesha high school sports teams. He had a lifelong love of the outdoors including camping, forests, mountains, and rivers. He enjoyed learning and reading Western history, fiction and non-fiction, which was often the same thing.
He will be sadly missed by the love of life, his wife of almost 54 years, Kathleen of Waukesha and their sons, Paul Vernon (Carley) Rydberg of Atherton, CA, Thad (Carolyn) Rydberg of Chicago and Mark Rydberg of Steamboat Springs, CO and his five grandsons, Alexander, Erik, Matthew, John and Henry. He is further survived by his sisters, Emilia “Ann” (Richard) Eades of Cedar Falls, IA and Linda (Bill) Nodes of LaVista, NE, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Tom (Kathy) Maher, Mike Maher, Mary (Dave) Knop, Jacqueline (Joe) Nicholas, Paula (Hal) Brown and Barbara Moers along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law Tim Maher.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 14, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, 1110 S. Grand Ave., Waukesha. Visitation continues on Monday, April 15th from 9:00 a.m. until the 10:00 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church, 225 S. Hartwell Avenue, Waukesha, WI 53186. Father Howard Haase will preside.
Additional services will be held in Shenandoah, Iowa with burial at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Memorials in Ron’s name are appreciated to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, 830 N. 19th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233, Catholic Memorial High School, 601 E. College Ave., Waukesha, WI 53186 or to Waukesha Catholic Schools, 221 S. Hartwell Ave., Waukesha, WI 53186.
Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit us online at www.randledable.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.