Ronald William Krawczyk

January 14, 1938 - August 19, 2022

Ronald “Ron” Krawczyk

Ron passed away peacefully to the voices of his loved ones near and far while being held by his beloved Mary-Etta.

Ron was born to Stanley and Eleanor (nee Mertz) Krawczyk on January 14, 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he spent most of his life. He proved to everyone that no matter what life throws at you, you can overcome anything with hard work and determination. Although Ron never graduated high school, he worked at various jobs to help support his family. During this time, he also discovered his passion for hunting, fishing, and trapping. In 1961, he was drafted into the Army and on May 12, 1962 he married Judith Ann Petrovich. They moved to Virginia where he was stationed. After active duty, they returned to Wisconsin to start a family and Ron remained in the Reserves. He later took a job sweeping floors in a machine shop and with diligence and drive, he worked his way up to a machinist and eventually, expediter. After several years in the trade, he decided to take another leap and follow his dream of becoming a taxidermist. He went to school to learn the craft and upon graduating he started Animal Arts Taxidermy Studio while still working full time. With great patience, Ron taught his kids the art as they worked by his side to build a successful family business. During this time, he also instilled in them the love of hunting and fishing and everything outdoors. Ron had a heart for giving; of his love, of his time, and of his storytelling. He believed in truth and honesty and he always had your back. He believed that you get respect when you give respect. Although their relationship didn’t last forever as they had hoped, both Ron and Judie went on to enjoy watching their family grow.

After several years of being single, Doug and his childhood friend Phil thought their parents should meet. The week before Christmas in 1988, Ron took Mary-Etta McCabe on their first date and she stole his heart. Within time, the two brought their families together and were married on July 9, 1999. Some of his favorite times were when the whole family came over, especially for Sunday dinners and the 23 years of celebrating Christmas in July. Ron and Mary-Etta’s journey throughout the years brought them to finding the love of Jesus and they were baptized in 2006. In 2020, Ron finally decided to close up shop after 43 years and they retired to the sunny state of Florida in 2021.

Ron is survived by his cherished bride Mary-Etta Krawczyk, his children Maribeth Krawczyk, Jillian (Scott) Zetting, Douglas (JoEllen) Krawczyk, Shelby (Peter) Emrich, Phillip (Mary) McCabe, Maxine (William) Nix, and Jeanine McCabe Dehaan. Also his grandchildren Naomi, Joshua, Erin, Amanda, Holly, Autumn, Becky, Chad, Simon, Cody, Demetri, Nicholas, Hayden, Kemper and Gavin and great-grandchildren Aiden and Eloise. He is further survived by his siblings Bob, Bootsie, Mike and Jim, many nieces, nephews, and the friendship of so many others. Ron was preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Eleanor, his first wife Judie, and his siblings Fred, Marion, Tom, Ed, Danny, and Geri.

A celebration of Ron’s life will be held at Shalom Baptist Church at 5600 W. Bradley Road in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Service will begin at 11am on Saturday October 29, 2022 with lunch to follow.

A celebration will also be held for church family and new friends in Florida following Service at the First Baptist Church of Matlacha at 3310 SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral Florida on September 25th, 2022 with lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to one of Ron’s favorite places, Ark Encounters in Kentucky. To Donate - call 800-778-3390 and give code 'Krawczyk'. Donations will be used to give children free admittance to the Ark.