My deepest condolences. Ron was the closest I had to a brother. We grew up together a few miles apart; our dads were brothers. We sought each other out at family gatherings as we were the same age. We graduated high school together. He was the reason I transferred to Amboy High School. He was well-liked, personable, intelligent, athletic and good looking. As his cousin I was included in his social group and we jointly had parties and even double-dated. His girlfriend, Mick Fagan was good friends with my boyfriend, Steve Haas and it was natural we would all go places together. That was our junior year and Mick and Steve were seniors. Ron dated others and one, Alice Robins appears in a Thanksgiving picture that Cousin Marilyn puts on facebook in November. The 50's were a time of movies, ballgames, parties, rollerskating and friends.
Ron worked on the farm doing the usual – plowing, planting, cultivating etc. The most labor intensive job was putting up hay and he had an accident that I believe affected him later in life. He fell down a hay chute, landing on a wooden stanchion. I know it injured his back but I don't know if it was immediate.
Ron was a terrific athlete, particularly in basketball. I think he participated in other sports also, but basketball is what I remember the most.
The family got together at holidays and for a Shippert Reunion each summer at Lowell Park. Ron and I would explore the woods and limestone formations that seemed grand at the time. Little did we know we would later see much more awesome sites at various places in the world.
My father (Bob) was with Ron's dad, Lyle, when the accident happened that killed Lyle. We were away at different colleges at the time. The farming Uncles (Bob, Bill and Art) wanted to set him up in farming but Ron was determined to pursue a medical career which did not suit the Uncles at all.
Ron's great success was due to LOTS of hard work and dedication to his dreams; it is well deserved. I remember that Grandma Shippert (the strong matriarch of the family} as well as Aunt Marie, were extremely proud of his accomplishments! I think the Uncles were too.
Ron astonished me on our way to a class reunion. I think it was our 40th. He had prepared FLASH CARDS showing the faces of our classmates. We were driving from Cedar Rapids, IA to Amboy. Ron and Sarah had flown to CR and we drove over together. We entertained ourselves with the flashcards on the drive.
I feel l review my life in chapters; Ron was an integral part of my first chapter. I have met all his children and I feel he has been a wonderful and proud father and a grandfather and husband. I am 86 now and will always have fond and loving memories of my cousin Ron.
My deepest condolences. Ron was the closest I had to a brother. We grew up together a few miles apart; our dads were brothers. We sought each other out at family gatherings as we were the same age. We graduated high school together. He was the reason I transferred to Amboy High School. He was well-liked, personable, intelligent, athletic and good looking. As his cousin I was included in his social group and we jointly had parties and even double-dated. His girlfriend, Mick Fagan was good friends with my boyfriend, Steve Haas and it was natural we would all go places together. That was our junior year and Mick and Steve were seniors. Ron dated others and one, Alice Robins appears in a Thanksgiving picture that Cousin Marilyn puts on facebook in November. The 50's were a time of movies, ballgames, parties, rollerskating and friends.
Ron worked on the farm doing the usual – plowing, planting, cultivating etc. The most labor intensive job was putting up hay and he had an accident that I believe affected him later in life. He fell down a hay chute, landing on a wooden stanchion. I know it injured his back but I don't know if it was immediate.
Ron was a terrific athlete, particularly in basketball. I think he participated in other sports also, but basketball is what I remember the most.
The family got together at holidays and for a Shippert Reunion each summer at Lowell Park. Ron and I would explore the woods and limestone formations that seemed grand at the time. Little did we know we would later see much more awesome sites at various places in the world.
My father (Bob) was with Ron's dad, Lyle, when the accident happened that killed Lyle. We were away at different colleges at the time. The farming Uncles (Bob, Bill and Art) wanted to set him up in farming but Ron was determined to pursue a medical career which did not suit the Uncles at all.
Ron's great success was due to LOTS of hard work and dedication to his dreams; it is well deserved. I remember that Grandma Shippert (the strong matriarch of the family} as well as Aunt Marie, were extremely proud of his accomplishments! I think the Uncles were too.
Ron astonished me on our way to a class reunion. I think it was our 40th. He had prepared FLASH CARDS showing the faces of our classmates. We were driving from Cedar Rapids, IA to Amboy. Ron and Sarah had flown to CR and we drove over together. We entertained ourselves with the flashcards on the drive.
I feel l review my life in chapters; Ron was an integral part of my first chapter. I have met all his children and I feel he has been a wonderful and proud father and a grandfather and husband. I am 86 now and will always have fond and loving memories of my cousin Ron.