Ronald M Stiverson

Ronald Marion Stiverson, known to all as Ron, was born on October 10, 1936, in Clarinda, Iowa, the eldest child of Clarence Eldon and Lola Senoretta (Anderson) Stiverson. He passed away February 17, 2026, at the age of 89.

When Ron was about seven years old, he suffered a serious injury after falling from a 50-gallon oil drum, breaking his left arm in two places. This injury later disqualified him from military service. Following this, the family moved to Hawleyville, Iowa, located eight miles northeast of Clarinda. Ron and his six siblings all attended and graduated from Hawleyville Grade School, a one-room schoolhouse with the same teacher.

Ron later graduated from New Market Community High School in New Market, Iowa. After high school, he worked as a farmhand before moving to Omaha, Nebraska, where he was employed at the Skinner Macaroni Plant. After several years, Ron attended truck driver training school and went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career as a professional truck driver. In July 2000, he retired after 29 years of service, having driven between three and four million accident-free miles for Interstate Motor Freight and PIE Trucking. He was a proud, lifelong member of Teamsters Local 554.

Ron was known for his remarkable attention to detail and his love of record keeping. He meticulously recorded nearly every aspect of daily life, from mileage on his car—whether driving to the grocery store, church, work, or on pleasure trips—to extensive personal logs. Although he was not interested in playing sports, Ron was an avid fan of baseball and football. He served as scorekeeper for the Clarinda “A’s” baseball team, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, and even recorded play-by-play accounts of televised baseball games.

A dedicated collector, Ron amassed an extensive library of vinyl records, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, and books. He carefully recorded movies onto VHS tapes, each one numbered, titled, and logged in detailed notebooks. Ron especially loved country music. On a bus trip to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, he met his future wife, Sandra. Together, they enjoyed many trips to Branson, Missouri, and formed friendships with numerous country music performers there, as well as in Omaha.

After retiring, Ron and Sandra enjoyed traveling to visit family in Florida, Washington, Missouri, and Montana. They were devoted supporters of St. Joseph's Indian School in South Dakota, collecting items for its thrift store and personally delivering them each year.

Ron was a member of Faith Presbyterian Church throughout his lifetime.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents; and by his siblings, Donald Max (Annette) Stiverson, Marvin Leroy Stiverson, Glen Lavern Stiverson, and David Michael Stiverson.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sandra Rogers Stiverson; his daughter, Rhonda (Paul) Westphalen; his son, Scott (Bridget Smith); and his three grandchildren, Joshua Westphalen, Joey Westphalen, and Ashley Stiverson. He is also survived by his siblings, Larry (Rosemary) Stiverson and Gladys Calfee, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.