Ronald Clarence Wittenauer

Ronald “Ron” Clarence Wittenauer, 77, passed away peacefully on the morning of September 25, 2018, at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan in Lansing. Ron lived life to the fullest, and his family and friends will hold him in their memories forever.

Ron was born in St. Louis, Missouri at St. Mary’s Hospital on August 8, 1941. He was the first child of Edgar Charles Wittenauer and Pearl Victoria (Cortner) Wittenauer, and beloved oldest brother to two brothers and two sisters. He attended grade school in St. Louis, including McKinley, Notre Dame de Lourdes, and Ascension Elementary Schools. During his youth in St. Louis, Ron enjoyed visiting the Cortner family farm in rural Illinois, riding with his father on the White’s Bakery bread route, and caddying at Bellerive Country Club. From 1955 to 1959, Ron attended St. Louis University High School and graduated with plans to study engineering at the University of Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy (now Missouri University of Science and Technology) in Rolla, Missouri. He was awarded a Western Golf Association Chick Evans Caddies Scholarship through the Evans Scholars Foundation to support his tuition and housing. At Rolla, Ron was proud to be a founding member of the Fifty-Niners Eating Club and was active in the Rifle Club, American Society of Civil Engineers, Newman Club, and Reserve Officers Training Corps. He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and moved to California to pursue his career dreams.

One of Ron’s first employers was the California Department of Water Resources. He worked on the underground power station for the Oroville Dam in the mid-60s, and then moved on to his role in construction management at the 100 Wilshire high-rise project in Santa Monica, California, originally known as Lawrence Welk Plaza. One of his lifetime ambitions was to travel around the world, and he set sail on the MS Europa in 1967. On this trip and another to follow, he traveled to Australia, northern Africa, countless European countries, India, and beyond. After returning to California from his adventures abroad, Ron worked on numerous commercial building projects and built his first home in the Oxnard Shores beach community. There was no end to his desire to explore the outdoors through sailing, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, traveling, and exploring the Pacific Coast in the dune buggy he built from a Volkswagen chassis. He made lifelong friends over pints, pool, and poker during these years and shared a love for the state with all four siblings who followed his lead to California.

Surrounded by their families, Ron married Cynthia “Cyndi” Anne Dugas on October 3, 1981, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard, California. Ron and Cyndi loved to travel the U.S. and first experienced the beauty of Montana on an extended journey to the state before their marriage. On December 13, 1982, their daughter Katherine “Katie” Mae Wittenauer was born. With a longing for the natural beauty of the Big Sky State in his heart, Ron, Cyndi, and Katie moved to Big Timber, Montana in 1983. Living in Montana sparked Ron’s interest in a new hobby – horseback riding and training and showing draft horses.

Between time spent in Camarillo, California, and Kalispell and Bozeman, Montana, in the mid-80s to 90s, Ron worked as a carpenter’s superintendent and project manager for many commercial buildings. In 1992, he and Cyndi built the family’s home in Bozeman. In the years ahead, they constructed and maintained several rental properties. He took pride in self-employment and the thriving business. In his adopted state of Montana, Ron relished opportunities to hunt, take trail rides, camp, fish, travel to Yellowstone National Park and Canada, coach Katie’s softball team, and serve as an active part of the 4-H horse community. He was a parishioner at Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Resurrection Parish, and a long-time member of the Old Farts Trap and Lunch Bunch. His passion for shooting sports and training his hunting dogs through the Missouri Headwaters Gun Dog Club led to many lasting friendships and memories.

Ron met the daily challenges of Parkinson’s Disease with strength, wit, perpetual motion, and eternal optimism. One of his favorite mantras was “Mind over matter,” and he lived by those words. In the summer of 2015, he moved to Okemos, Michigan, to live with his daughter and son-in-law, Peter Johnston. He was embraced by the Johnston family and the Forster Woods Adult Day Center and Lansing Area Parkinson’s Support Group communities. Ron started new relationships with friends, caregivers, neighbors, fellow gym members, and everyone he connected with about dogs, shooting, music, travel, exercise, construction, and healthy living. Ron was a storyteller and helper at heart, always sharing his unlimited knowledge and life experiences. He traveled the state and Midwest and stayed connected to lifelong friends, returning to visit Montana in the summers. He loved dancing and music, amassing a collection of over three hundred albums of all genres. In late 2017, Ron moved to Vista Springs Timber Ridge assisted living community, and his network of friendships expanded again. Most recently he had a big summer, with visits from family and old friends, trips to the gym and pool, plenty of ice cream and malts, and big plans for the future.

Parkinson’s did not define or end Ron’s life. He endured a sudden and devastating stroke on September 24 and was cared for with compassion and dignity in the peaceful environment of Hospice House of Mid-Michigan until his passing on September 25. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Cyndi; daughter Katie Wittenauer (Peter Johnston); brother Gerald (Alicia) Wittenauer and nephew Ryan Wittenauer; sister Margaret (Danny) Wittenauer-Lee and nephews and nieces Carlin (Debora) Lee, Chloe (Robert) Lee-Zorn, Paige (Tim) Larkin, Quincy Lee, and Blaise Wittenauer-Lee, and two great nephews Vincent and Westley Zorn; sister Cheryl Wittenauer (Tom Sanger); the children of Cyndi Wittenauer, Lori (Carl) Etter and Chris (Cheri) Holloway; brother-in-law George (Stephanie) Dugas and nephews Steven and Brian Dugas; Bill Carlson; and a loving community of extended family members and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Dennis E. Wittenauer and his parents.

A visitation, mass, and celebration of Ron’s life will be held on Friday, October 26, at Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, Michigan. Visitation with family and friends will begin at 10 a.m. with a memorial mass at 11 a.m.; a luncheon and gathering will follow. Private interment of ashes will take place at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis at a later date. Ron will be laid to rest beside his parents and brother.

Donations in Ron’s memory can be made to the Michigan Parkinson’s Foundation or to Forster Woods Adult Day Center in Williamston, Michigan.