Ronald 'Ron' D. Derke
September 29, 1950 - August 20, 2010
Obituary
MADISON- Ronald Ron D. Derke, age 59, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, Aug. 20, 2010. He was born on Sept. 29, 1950, in Madison, the son of Carl and Marie (Hagen) Derke. Ron graduated from Madison East High School with the class of 1968. He was united in marriage to Linda Wepking on April 2, 1984. Right out of high school, Ron began his career for Straus Printing (currently known as Suttle-Straus Printing) and retired from the company in 2007. He valued the many friendships he made throughout his career with Suttle-Straus Printing. Ron loved being outdoors, near the water, fishing and boating. He also enjoyed gambling and traveling with his wife, Linda. Their most memorable trips included Las Vegas, Hawaii and the trip of his dreams to Alaska. Ron was very proud of his family and especially loved spending time with his grandchildren. He will be remembered as a practical jokester. Ron is survived by his wife of 26 years, Linda; children, Kelley Jilot of DeForest and Sheryl (Kent) VonRuden of St. Michael, Minn.; step children, Terry Richardson of Cottage Grove and Tami (Steve) Ogden of Johnson Creek; grandchildren, Kyler, Kennedy and Delaney Jilot, Brett and Nate VonRuden, Jordan and Austin Richardson and Breanna and Caley Ogden; great granddaughter, Jaelynn Ogden-Manthe; sister, Sandy (Bill) McCann of Madison; brothers, Mike (Charlene) Derke of Monona and Dennis (Lin) Derke of Madison; mother-in-law, Esther Wepking of Dodgeville; brother-in-law, Mark (Nancy) Wepking of Dodgeville; sister-in-law, Peggy (Frank) Balistreri; and many nieces, nephews and good friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Tom Derke; and father-in-law, Ira Wepking. Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 1:00 p.m., on Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, with the Rev. Kirsten Fryer presiding. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 11 a.m. until the time of service on Monday. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Cemetery:
Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park.
Visitation:
Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 11 a.m. until the time of service on Monday.
Service:
Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 1:00 p.m., on Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, with the Rev. Kirsten Fryer presiding.
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Memories
JS
Jennifer & Gary Simon
Other •
We are sorry to hear of your sudden loss. We are going out of town and will not be able to attend the funeral. Please know we are thinking of you during this difficult time. I know the emptiness of losing a parent but time will help ease the pain. Take care of yourselves,
Jen & Gary
Olivia & Will
SD
Shirley Derke
Other •
Hi Linda & family - What a shock! I am so happy to have spent time with all of you recently. We never know when it will be our last opportunity to see each other. I will miss him dearly also. I so wish that I could be with you all, but it isn't possible. My thoughts and love are will you all. Love you, Shirley
RC
Roxanne & David Cieszynski
Other •
This was so unexpected and leaves us numb. We were fortunate to enjoy Ron's quiet sense of humor and friendliness. We are so glad we were able to visit with him last month, even briefly. Our love goes to Linda, Jordan, Austin, Terry, Tammy, Kelly, Cheryl and their families. While this will be a very difficult time for all of you, you will grow closer and stronger as Ron's family!
All our love,
Dave and Roxane Cieszynski