Ronald Wayne Sterkel, 92, died peacefully Friday, July 28, 2023, surrounded by his family at The Aspen assisted living facility in Woodland Park, Colorado.
Ron was born March 6, 1931, to parents Henry and Marie Sterkel in Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended Lincoln Northeast High School and was active in a male vocal quartet; was a running back on the football team; and was one of the premiere runners on the track team. As a senior he placed fourth in the 100-yard-dash at the Nebraska State High School track meet.
Ron attended the University of Nebraska where he graduated with a B.A. in Industrial Design. Having been involved in the ROTC program, after college he served as a Second Lieutenant in the army based at the Presidio in San Francisco during the Korean wartime.
Following military service Ron worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas. He realized that was not his calling and moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to pursue a MFA at Indiana University. While teaching as a graduate assistant he met the love of his life, Ruth McKnight, who he married on November 14, 1956. Ron stayed on at IU as an assistant professor to oversee the newly established graphic design program.
His children, Mark, Sue and Janet, were born in Bloomington.
In 1963 the family moved to Champaign, Illinois, where Ron had accepted a teaching position in the art department at the University of Illinois and remained until he retired. At the U of I, he headed the graduate graphic design program; the visual research center; and was assistant chairman of the department.
During his 1969 sabbatical, Ron took his family to Europe, visiting museums, and historic and cultural sites while he did photography and visited graphic design programs.
Ruth and he were active in the arts, music, and cultural events at the university. They were also members of different gourmet groups.
Ron also was a graphic design consultant for the Federal Reserve and Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He used his architecture talents to design and remodel houses in Bloomington and Champaign.
He retired from the University of Illinois in 1990. Ruth and he moved to a country ranch house in East Texas with 17 acres adjacent to a golf course. Ron made many upgrades to the house.
Ron loved golf, having played since his college days and played until his 80s. He also enjoyed shooting pool, playing poker and was an avid hiker.
After seven years in Texas the couple moved to a home with a beautiful mountain view in Pueblo West, Colorado where they lived for 23 years. Colorado was a favorite family vacation destination since the 1950s, especially the town of Nederland, where in 1980 they purchased a log cabin next to a beautiful stream. The cabin became a regular family gathering place.
In Pueblo, Ron and Ruth were founding members of a community xeriscape garden. Ron served on the board of directors and was honored as volunteer of the year for the Sangre de Cristo Art Museum. They split their time between their home in Pueblo West and the cabin in Nederland until Ruth’s death in 2019.
They enjoyed exploring the local communities throughout Colorado and made regular trips to Santa Fe, New Mexico, visiting the art galleries in search of Native American jewelry and pottery, and artwork to add to their collection.
Ron loved to work with wood. Much of the artwork he made through the years incorporated finely sanded and oiled pieces of exotic woods. He loved to feel the wood’s texture and appreciated the fine grain structures. He built a wood shop in the Pueblo West house to make intricate wood sculptures, jewelry, trays and furniture.
Ron enjoyed a good pun and always enjoyed engaging someone in creative repartee. He and Ruth also loved to entertain, having a reputation for some of the best social gatherings.
Ronald was a loving husband, devoted to Ruth in a marriage of 62 years. She died March 18, 2019.
He is survived by his three children: Mark (Beth) Sterkel of Woodland Park, Colorado; SueMarie (Ralph) Mendez of Divide, Colorado; and Janet (Gary) Sterkel Roeckner of Dayton, Ohio; grandchildren: Michael (Abigail) Smith; Paolo (Amanda) Mendez; Matthew (Amy) Mendez and Connor (Michael) Cook; and greatgrandchildren: Grace, Patrick, Declan and Claire Smith; Christian, Emma and Molly Mendez; Hugo, and Llewyn Mendez; and Eden Cook.
A Memorial Service was held August 2, 2023, in the chapel at the Mountain Memorial Funeral Home in Divide, Colorado.
