Ronnie W. Menneke

Ronnie William Menneke was born June 22, 1964, in Algona, the sixth of seven children of Arthur E. "Bud" and Lois Faye (Whiteman) Menneke. Ron grew up in Algona graduating from Algona High School in 1982. He then attended Buena Vista College for one year. He returned to Algona where he worked at McDonald's and Algona Glass. Ron was an assistant detasseling crew leader for Pioneer for several years always looked forward to it every summer. Ron was united in marriage to Stephanie Parcel on April 2, 1994, at Faith Assembly of God church in Algona. On his 30th birthday, he returned to college graduating in May, 1998 from Buena Vista College with a degree in Education. Ron taught two years at Prairie Valley High School in Gowrie. August 2000 to present, he taught math at Emmetsburg High School. Ron was loved by the students and faculty. His witty math skills and fun with the students will be missed. Stephanie encouraged and supported Ron in his educational pursuits and during the years of working long hours in teaching positions 65 miles away. She enjoyed stopping in Emmetsburg to have lunch with him and meeting his students and fellow instructors. Ron had many passions ...[more]

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life including his family, his church, nature, and Taekwondo. He loved spending time with his family and could often be found teaching his daughters about nature and flowers, two of his interests. The girls often commented about the deer or birds they saw with their daddy. Together, as a family, they enjoyed trips to visit extended family in Colorado, yearly visits to the Apple Orchard in Ft. Dodge, the Algona Nativity Scene, and a family fun trip last summer to an indoor water park at a Des Moines hotel. Ron was a devoted Christian and his love for the Lord was the driving force of his life. He was involved as a sound booth technician, youth leader, and had served on the worship team at Faith Assembly of God in Algona. He will be remembered by his uncanny Bible knowledge, but he'll be loved by the compassionate way he treated everyone. This compassion and regard for others was evident by remarks made by so many these past few days: "He never gave up on us." "If he was having a bad day, you never knew it." "He was always smiling or joking around." "He cared about us." His Taekwondo involvement began in 1982. In 1984, as a 1st Degree Black Belt trainee instructor, he began his teaching career in various locations in north central Iowa. He worked diligently through the Black Belt ranks until in 2002 he received the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt. In 2003, the rank of Master Instructor was conferred on him by the Grand Master of the American Taekwondo Association in ceremonies in Little Rock, AR. Stephanie, Ron's wife, just received word this week that the ATA has promoted Ron to 7th Degree Black Belt Senior Master. He was a beloved instructor who instilled integrity as well as correct technique. Many of his students have earned marks of distinction because of his thorough training. He served Region 114 of the ATA for many years as the Regional Chief of Tournaments. His involvement took him to tournaments in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. He is remembered fondly by the Region as an excellent martial artist and a thoughtful man. He is survived by his wife Stephanie; his three daughters, Kayelynn (10), Chloe (8), and Cassandra (6); and his parents-in-law, Darrell and Sandy Parcel. He is also survived by four sisters and two brothers, Sharon (Wayne) Townsend of Thornton, CO, Roger (Dianne) Menneke of Urbandale, Daniel (Patricia) Lamb Menneke of West Des Moines, Kristy Williams of Algona, Brenda Anderson of Chicago, IL, and Diane Menneke of Algona; his sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Penny (Ringo) Karstedt of Brookshire, TX; Dan (Amber) Parcel of Algona, and Abby Langenwalter of Algona; and his grandmother-in-law, Barbara Fox of Algona. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members. Ron was preceded in death by his parents.