Ronald A. Bilharz, 80
Ronald A. Bilharz, age 80 of Nashua, Iowa, died Saturday, April 9, 2022, surrounded by his wife and children in Charles City, IA.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 14, 2022, at St. John Lutheran Church in Nashua with Rev. Todd Burrichter officiating.
Interment will be held at Greenwood Cemetery, Nashua with Cody Johnson, Brandon Bilharz, Mathew Goddard, Taylor Haut, Austin Deutsch, Zachary Dukeshier, Tanner Haut, Jayden Jost, Dylan Bilharz, and Seth Dukeshier serving as pallbearers.
Friends may greet the family from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.
Ron was born on Oct. 12, 1941, to Clair and Mildred (Altenburg) in Charles City, and he was the second oldest of the 9 Bilharz children. He grew up near Bassett, helping his parents on their farm and attending Charles City High School, where he was active in FFA and a member of the Class of 1960.
After high school, he worked construction before taking a job with Oliver Tractor, which later became White Farm, in Charles City and worked at the plant until 1979, when he took a job as a truck driver delivering feed at the Farmers Coop in Nashua, where he worked for 24 years before retiring.
Ron, like four of his brothers, served his country in the military as a member of the Army National Guard from 1963 to 1969, and he was a longtime member of the American Legion who always did his utmost to support his fellow veterans.
He married Susan Marreel in 1966, and they had three children — Ron Jr., Bradley, and Becky — before they later divorced. The Bilharz children fondly recall their fishing and camping trips, and their father taught them the value of putting in an honest day’s work and doing their best.
Ron lived in rural Floyd County until moving to Nashua. One of his neighbors up the street was Janet Schultz. One night, he knocked on her door, she answered and he asked her out on a date. The rest is history. The two were married on June 8, 1993, in Canton, South Dakota, and the blended family that included Janet’s children — Connie, Christy, Cathy, and Carey — meshed well together.
He also was the proud grandpa to 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Ron enjoyed fishing, hunting, woodworking, tractors, and he had a great sense of humor. He was also a longtime member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Nashua.
He was a wonderful husband to Janet for 29 years, a stand-up brother to his siblings, a loving father, and a grandfather and friend to many, and he will be dearly missed by many.
Ron is survived by his wife, Janet, of Nashua; his children, Bradley (Dawne) Bilharz of Charles City, Becky (Todd) Dukeshier of Waterloo, Connie (Bruce) Goddard of Charles City, Christy (Jeremy) Deutsch of Nashua, Cathy (Kenny) Haut of Plainfield, and Carey (Jason) Agnitsch of Nashua; 16 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren; his siblings, Robert (Debbie) Bilharz of Nashua, Randall Bilharz of Nashua; James (Bonnie) Bilharz of Little Falls, Minnesota; Joan Bilharz of Sulpher Springs, Texas; Susan (Paul) Sedgwick of Charles City, and Dan (Patty) Bilharz of Nashua; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clair and Mildred Bilharz; a son, Ron Bilharz Jr.; a granddaughter, Amanda Bearman; two brothers, Richard and Gerald; three sisters-in-law, Sandra, Helen, and Nancy; three brothers-in-law, Merlin, Keith and Rick; and a sister-in-law, Starlene Bilharz.
