Edward J. Ronke

Edward Joseph Ronke 2.25.1964 – 11.28.2021

Edward "Ed" Joseph Ronke, age 57, of Watertown, SD passed away Sunday, November 28, 2021 from complications of Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

Visitation will be Friday, December 3, 2021 from 4-7 pm, with a prayer service at 7pm, at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church (PLEASE NOTE LOCATION).

Funeral mass will be 10:30 am, Saturday, December 4, 2021 at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Watertown with Father John Fischer as celebrant.

Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Watertown.

Pallbearers will be Phillip Ronke, Chrystal LeGrand, Dusty Wassenaar, Leslie Custer, Zach Binde and Zandar Binde.

Ed was born February 25, 1964 in Watertown, SD to Lucille (Strohfus) and Arbie Ronke. Ed grew up on a farm near Florence, SD and graduated from Watertown Senior High School in 1982. He attended SDSU for one year and transferred to Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD. He graduated in 1985 from LATC with a degree in Ag Business. In 1989, he married Lisa Kwasniewski. In 1994, they welcomed twin sons, Jacob and Jared.

Throughout his career in the animal nutrition industry, he met many people and created life-long friendships, earning the respect of those he encountered. He worked for Zip Feed Mills, Supersweet Feeds, Morman Feeds, Golden Sun Feeds, and was employed with Purina/Land ‘O Lakes at the time of his illness.

He was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2015, which forced him to retire early from a job he truly enjoyed. Ed had a successful career and earned several sales awards and incentive trips. He was blessed to have met many mentors, coworkers and customers while living in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Ethan, Mitchell and Watertown, SD, as well as Norfolk, NE. His customer base continued through the Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and other places as needed.

In his early years, Ed was involved in 4H, FFA, taking care of animals, harvesting crops and milking cows on the family farm. His love of the outdoors started when he was a young boy living on the farm. He continued to cultivate this as he kept up with his gardening and paid meticulous attention to his yard, eliminating any and every weed.

He was very passionate about pheasant hunting, a sport he passed on to his sons. There are many great memories about opening pheasant hunting day. He was a member of Codington County Pro Pheasants and enjoyed attending their banquets and purchasing hen pheasants to release at the farm. He trained several hunting dogs: Sadie, Sunny and Avery. He was a talented handyman and could fix just about anything around the house. He was always willing to help a neighbor, friend, relative and even strangers.

Playing softball with friends was a huge part of Ed’s early life. As he aged, he transitioned to taking up golf. Ed was naturally athletic and enjoyed many activities.

Ed was supportive of Lisa’s love to host social gatherings at their home. He was always willing to help get everything ready for the family gatherings, festive sweater parties, hat parties, outdoor movie night, office socials, game night and wine socials, to name a few. Lisa often “volunteered” him to participate in community activities. Ed has entertained many people with his huge repertoire of jokes and stories, and could command the attention of the room like none other. He was certain to include accents and animated facial expression, as well. He and Lisa caught the travel bug and took many vacations to terrific domestic and international locations, always meeting new people and making friends while creating memories.

Honored to be a part of his life and left to cherish his memory are his wife, Lisa, his sons Jacob Ronke and Jared Ronke, and his daughter-in-law, Tyra Ronke and his grandson, Jed, all of Watertown, SD. His siblings: Marlowe (Nancy) Ronke of Watertown, SD; Roxanne (Alan) Nelson of Rock Rapids, IA; Carla (Jack) Voss of Lakefield, MN; and Lori (Jerry) Cope of Rapid City, SD. His mother-in-law Monica Kwasniewski (Lew Feuerstein) of Watertown, SD; his sisters-in-law, Lori Kwasniewski and Becky (Trent) Binde, all of Watertown, SD; His bonus sisters-in-law: Lisa Feuerstein (Rob Dalrymple) of Casa Grande, AZ; Laura (Rod) Holmes of Chicago, IL; Nancy Hildebrand of Fishers Grove, IN; and Katie (Markus) Anderson of Lehi, UT. Ed is also survived by many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his father-in-law, Jim Kwasniewski, and his brother-in-law, Rudy Wassenaar.

In lieu of flowers, family requests memorials be designated to Codington County Pro Pheasants or Watertown Alzheimer Council.

Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel is serving the family – www.wightandcomes.com.