RONALD MADSEN

On Feb. 7, 1933 in Pocahontas, Iowa, Hans and Mary (Ernst) Madsen announced the birth of their first child, Ronald Chris.
In his early years, he worked and lived on several different farms before settling on a farm in Cylinder, Iowa with his three siblings, Carol, Richard, and Betty.
Ron graduated from Cylinder High School in 1951.
After high school, Ron met a young school teacher, Edna Salmonson. Before they married, Ron enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1953. Proudly serving in the Korean War, he drove trucks and was honourably discharged on April 21, 1955.
In the years he served, he pursued Edna through written letters.
Ron and Edna married on May 25, 1956 and their marriage was blessed with four children, Mark in 1958, Keith in 1960, Kent in 1964, and Lynnea in 1970.
When their son, Mark, was born, Edna joined Ron in working on several farms around the Cylinder area. Later, they bought a farm of their own. They planted soybeans, corn, and hay and raised hogs, chickens, cattle, and dairy cows.
As a family, they enjoyed travelling to see relatives and going to the Ozarks. Ron was easy to get along with and participated with neighbours in co-operative farming.
In 1978, they sold the farm and purchased Crawford’s Crow Lake Resort in Nestor Falls, Ont., Canada. They worked side-by-side until 1994 when they retired.
Ron enjoyed fishing and playing cards with many of his customers and neighbours who became personal friends.
Ron and Edna loved the area and friends so much that they bought a house just around the bay from the resort.
Ron was generous with his time and his abilities by helping his family, friends, and neighbours whenever they needed him.
Service to God through service to others was important to Ron. He served on his church board, ushered, and helped maintain the church and parsonage.
Ron also enjoyed gardening, especially growing radishes, onions, cabbages, and pickles. Together, Ron and Edna cooked, canned, and enjoyed life. This included their travelling adventures to Sweden in 2000 to visit Edna’s relatives and their car trips to Eastern and Western Canada.
They also enjoyed sharing their home and their love to their five beautiful granddaughters (and two grandsons-in-law) who have brought them so much joy.
Their love was evident to anyone who knew them, and Ron always called Edna “My Sweetie.” Their 60-year love story continued as they moved back down to the U.S. in an assisted living apartment in Champlin, Mn. and enjoyed seeing their children and grandchildren often.