Anderson Funeral Home
Homeserving families for over 70 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222
Ronald Kunz
Ronald George Kunz, 80, of Augusta, died on Friday, December 7, 2012, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. Ron was born to George Henry Kunz and Doris Pearl (Scott) Kunz on the family farm in the town of Bridge Creek on November 22, 1932. Ron attended the Dells Mill School through grade 8 and graduated from Augusta High School in 1951.
At age 17, Ronald contracted rheumatic fever. Upon recovering from a lengthy convalescence, he became a lifelong adventurer and sportsman. Ronald spent a year in 1956-57 in Alaska, working on the railroad, fishing and hunting. Ron also became an avid snowmobiler and trap shooter.
After completing his carpenter apprenticeship in Chicago to be a journeyman, he became a union carpenter with the Northern Wisconsin Regional Council of Carpenters, Local 1074. Ron was not only a carpenter, but also a sawyer, lumberman, businessman, and woodworking craftsman.
Ronald was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Augusta, where he was baptized and confirmed. He married SueAnn Lucille Volrath there on June 18, 1960.
They lived and raised their family in Bridge Creek in the home his father originally built, adding on as his family grew. Ron successfully began a thriving business, Kunz Woodworking, starting with a sawmill, planer and woodshop, and eventually adding a chainsaw shop.
Ron believed strongly in the importance of family and loved having everyone come for family gatherings, the deer hunt, and wood-making weekends. He was especially pleased to have the family seated around the same table for holiday dinners. Ron was blessed to have his loving wife, children and grandchildren gather around to say their goodbyes before his passing. He enjoyed the simple life and embodied wisdom, courage, pride and strength. His kind and generous spirit will be missed along with all the wonderful stories he told so well.
Over the past few years, Ron and SueAnn enjoyed traveling around Wisconsin and Minnesota in their RV. They made visits to see family and friends, took fishing expeditions, gambled at the casinos, and revisited childhood places, rekindling old memories he brought back home to share.
Ronald will be missed and remembered with great love by his family, friends, and many customers. He is survived by his loving wife SueAnn; four children, Rhonda (Brad) Whalen, Renee (Lance) Garrick, Scott (Teresa Markham), and Reta (Ted) Jankowski; eight grandchildren, Lucas Whalen, Shea Whalen, Ashley Garrick, Amber (Kunz) Miles, Christopher Kunz, Joshua Kunz, Gabriel Jankowski and Elijah Jankowski; and three great granddaughters, Jenevieve Miles, Zoey Bishop and Aubree Conner-Kunz.
Ron was preceded in death by his father George, step-mother Doretta (Steel) Kunz, mother Doris, step-father Earl Oltman, infant sister Nancy and sister Bernadean (Golden) Poirier.
Funeral services will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Augusta at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 15, 2012. Burial will be in West Lawn Cemetery in Augusta. A visitation will be held on Friday, December 14th from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta, and one hour prior to services Saturday at the church.
