Ronald “Ron” Otto Pederson

April 11, 1941 – August 15, 2021

Ronald Otto Pederson, “Ron,” “Shultzy,” “Ronnie,” 80, Lake Mills passed away surrounded by his loving family Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, after a two-year battle with leukemia. Funeral services were held at Monday, Aug. 23, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Scarville, with Pastor Randy Baldwin officiating.Burial took place in Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, rural Scarville, with military honors conducted by the Otto Chose Post #235. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Immanuel Lutheran Church or to MercyOne North Iowa Hospice, Mason City.
Ron was born to Hazel and Otto Pederson, April 11, 1941, in Forest City. He was a 1959 graduate of Lake Mills High School and served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Upon return from the service, he began his career as an agronomist, which he enjoyed for 46 years.
Ron had a very passionate and competitive personality and found great joy in sports. He excelled at high school basketball, fast pitch softball, where he was inducted into the Fast Pitch Hall of Fame, Albert Lea, Minn., and was also an elite bowler, being awarded “Top Bowler” multiple times. He enjoyed racing snowmobiles, working on the family farm, maintaining and repairing family vehicles, restoring tractors and going on group rides, and fishing in northern Minnesota, where his family went as a child.  Later in life, the Pederson fishing trips continued.
He was an avid lover of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Christmas bubble lights, hand-cranked homemade ice cream, tractors, fishing, auto racing, football, baseball, basketball, his friends, and his family.
Ron met Jean, the love of his life, in Britt, where he and his cousin, Pete, held up the bar until
Ron got the nerve to ask her to dance. (Evidently, his version of the Charleston dance “Bees Knees” was not enough to capture her attention.) They began their married life with Jean attending his many softball games.
In his retirement, he enjoyed group travel with his wife and friends. They were able to visit Norway, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and many other interesting locations (ask Keith Farland for animated details of shenanigans with this group). 
Ron is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Jean; children: Kim (Tom), Excelsior, Minn.; Krisanne, Manhattan, N.Y.; and Jason (Torree), Shawnee, Kansas.  He was a devoted grandfather to four grandchildren: Claire and Grace Becker and Elle and Samuel Pederson. He was one of four children and is survived by his siblings: JoAnn Pederson, Des Moines; Linda (Doug) Thompson, Albert Lea, Minn.; and Wayne Pederson, Hoffman Estates, Ill. Ron also leaves behind a multitude of nieces and nephews.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents; his mother- and father-in-law; sisters-in-law: Roylene Pederson and Jo Anne Klemp; and brothers-in-law: Craig Theobald and John Klemp.

Lake Mills Graphic

204 N. Mill Street
Lake Mills, IA 50450

Office Number: (641) 592-4222
Fax Number: (641) 592-6397

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