Ronald Joseph Day was born on September 15, 1940, to Ralph and Bertha (Uthe) Day. He was the oldest of 8 in a hard-working family. He almost didn’t survive as he was born with the junction of his esophagus and his stomach completely closed, but the doctors in Story City, Iowa were able to perform surgery, and he went on to become the man we all knew.
He joined the Army after graduation from high school and spent his tour in Germany where he drove very big vehicles dangerously fast and blew the air horn for all the children in the surrounding town as he whizzed past. He met his wife Karen through his cousin (her high school best friend) and they were married in 1962. They had one daughter, Regina, who survives him.
After the Army, he started working for USDA Veterinary Services in the labs. Eventually, he went out into the field where he ended his 30+ year career with USDA as an Investigator. He was a highly intelligent man, and he was very highly regarded and respected by his peers.
If you knew Ron, you knew you had a friend for life. He was known for his sense of humor, his surprise responses, the twinkle in his eye, and for those wonderful Orange Mint Life Savers® candies that he handed out to everyone.
He will be missed, but those of us who were lucky enough to have him in our lives will always have the fond memories that he made sure to create for us.
A Celebration of Life will be on Friday, June 26, 2026 at 1:30pm at The Homestead in Rochester, 1900 Ballington Blvd NW, Rochester.
