Obituary of Ronald Claussen

A memorial service for Ronald Claussen, age 85, of Spirit Lake, will be held Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Morgan Cemetery in Schleswig, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Ron's honor. Ronald Dean Claussen was born April 25, 1933 in Schleswig, Crawford County, Iowa. He was the oldest of two children born to Claus Henry Claussen and Martha Emily Meyer. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Schleswig. As a child he attended school in Schleswig. In 1952 he joined the USN in Omaha and took his boot camp in San Diego. He served on the USS Bon Homme Richard for less than a year. He then served in Agan, Guam in the carpenter shop with the Fasron 118 Air Naval Station for 1 ½ years. After that he was transferred to the USS Boxer and did damage control and routine maintenance. He was released from duty on April 6, 1956 at San Diego and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Medal. In 1957 he began working for the Iowa State Conservation Commission. He worked for fisheries during this time with the last five years in biology. He served the DNR for thirty-five years retiring in 1993. In 1961 he married Marilyn Weaver from Rippey, Iowa. They were united in marriage at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Perry, Iowa. They lived all their married life in Spirit Lake. Ron's hobbies were fishing, hunting, cribbage and gardening. He belonged to the VFW Post #4514 in Spirit Lake, Legion Post #0384 in Milford and to both retired associations from the USS Bon Homme Richard and USS Boxer. Ron was a lifetime member of Pheasants Forever and an active member of the NRA. On Friday, May 18, 2018, Ron passed away at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, due to a longtime illness. His remains were cremated and will be placed in the Morgan Cemetery in Schleswig, Iowa. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Claussen of Spirit Lake; sister, Laurene Meeves from Manning, Iowa, nephews, Bruce, Keith, Steve and Edward; niece, Rhonda and their families; and a host of cousins. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.