Ronald Melcher

Ronald Eugene Melcher was Born December 29, 1941 in Norfolk, Nebraska to Norman and Ardith Melcher. After World War II ended and Norman returned to the States, the family moved to St. James, Minnesota. In high school, Ron was active in band, the school newspaper and especially a Car Club with his lifelong friends. While a student at Mankato State College, he met Dawn Doring in the student union. They later married in 1965. Ron worked at the Green Giant Canning Factory and a car garage while he finished his college degree at St. Cloud State. With a teaching license in hand, Ron accepted a position as an industrial arts teacher at Bird Island, Minnesota. In 1970, Ron and Dawn moved to Hugo where Ron began teaching at Mahtomedi Middle School. Ron and Dawn welcomed their first daughter, Robin in 1969, their second daughter, Erin in 1972, and their third daughter Renee in 1975. Ron spent many hours taking the girls fishing and hunting, planting pine trees, and spending time in his woodshop together. Ron went back to school to earn his Master’s Degree from St. Thomas University in 1985, and began teaching math full time in Mahtomedi. After teaching there for thirty-four years, Ron retired and spent time traveling with Dawn in their RV. They also took trips to France and Germany together. They celebrated their fifty-third wedding anniversary together last fall. Few people knew that Ron was an artist. In college he worked with clay and pencil, but his favorite medium was wood. He was a true craftsman and could make a simple shelf into a work of art. He was happiest helping his daughters as an on-call handyman. He built everything - from his own kitchen cabinets to a deck on his daughter’s house to dolly bunkbeds for his granddaughters. His other hobbies included fishing and hunting with his buddies, attending car, boat, and RV shows, and reading. Ron not only loved his daughters, but thoroughly enjoyed time spent with his sons- in- law. Guy’s night out became a staple holiday event. Five grandchildren brought many smiles to Ron’s face. He taught Ben how to scale fish when Ben was only four. He enjoyed seeing Avery sing and dance on stage. Ezra gave Ron a run for his money in cribbage tournaments. Ron patiently answered Zoë’s questions during their projects together. Gus’s awesome personality made Ron genuinely laugh out loud. Until a year ago, Ron was living a very active life. His sudden, undiagnosed illness was unforeseen. Ron died on March 28, 2019 at the age of 77. He will be missed by all who knew him. Memorial Service 11:30AM on Thursday, April 4 at Mueller Memorial, 4738 Bald Eagle Ave., White Bear Lake with a visitation 1 hour prior to the service.