Vice Admiral N. Ronald Thunman USN (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Ron Thunman grew up in Springfield, IL, and graduated from Springfield High School in 1949. He attended the University of Illinois and then the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1954.

After duty in a Destroyer and command of a Patrol Craft Escort, he served in four submarines. He commanded the nuclear attack submarine USS Plunger (SSN595) for three years. Ron was senior member of the Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board and commanded the Polaris Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Squadron in Guam. Then he was assigned as the Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Officer Distribution in Washington, D.C.

Vice Admiral Thunman became Commander Submarine Force, U.S Pacific Fleet in 1979. His last submarine assignment was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Submarine Warfare in the Pentagon from 1981-1985. He held this position for longer than any other incumbent and was responsible for all submarine programs, including the development of the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, the Trident II Submarine Weapons System, the Improved Los Angeles Class Submarine and design of the Seawolf Class Submarine (SSN21). His office planned the operation that led to discovery of the famous sunken passenger liner, Titanic.

From 1986 until retirement in 1988, he served as the Chief of Naval Education and Training.

After retirement, he became President of the Valley Forge Military Academy and College and Chief Executive Officer and President of CAE Electronics, Inc.

He was a highly decorated submarine commander for the conduct of “classified operations of great value to the United States” during the Cold War. Ron’s personal decorations include the Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal with one Gold Star, the Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars, the Navy Commendation Medal with one Gold Star, the Navy Unit Commendation with one Bronze Star and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Ron’s parents, Carl and Julia, were Swedish immigrants, a fact of which he was inordinately proud. He was the youngest of three children. In 1954, he married Elizabeth Caldwell and they had two sons, Nils Ronald Jr. and Michael Erik.

In 1995, he married Owsley Brown Gillespie. He is survived by his two sons; one stepdaughter, Allison G. Romick; and five grandchildren, Carl, Nick, Natalie, Alec, and Hayden; and his beloved wife, Owsley.

Ron was an inspired mentor to countless people, both young and old. Until his final days he continued to keep audiences spellbound recounting his adventures in the Navy, the most famous of which was the successful hunt for the Titanic. He was unsurpassed as a storyteller and will live long in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

Memorial Gathering and Mass of Christian Burial: Family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle, 815 S. 2nd St., Springfield, followed by the Mass at 10:30 a.m. with The Right Reverand Brian Burgess, Celebrant.

Graveside Ceremony will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery with military honors provided.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Illinois Food Bank or Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle.

The family is being served by Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, 800 S. Grand Ave. West, Springfield.