Eric John Ronson

Eric's funeral service may be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/740540276

Eric's tribute video can be viewed here. https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/N7FKCNMPPGG3XFNM

After a lifetime of working, Eric Ronson passed away peacefully at Bethany Retirement Living on Aug. 9.

Born to Walter and Charlotte Ronson on April 5, 1943, Eric grew up with his two sisters, Shirley and Diana, in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. It was there he developed an appreciation for food, though it first came about in an odd way. When pop singer Fabian made a celebrity appearance at a donut shop that took over a lot they used to play, Eric and his friends pelted the teen idol with complementary jelly donuts.

Shortly after, he started working at a wedding reception venue and a pizza joint. Drawn to life in cooking he attended and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1963.

He went on to work in resorts and the following year met Ardella Rudolf in Scottsdale, Ariz. The couple moved around the country before getting married on May 14, 1966, at First Lutheran Church in Fargo.

After working in Florida and New York, they returned to Fargo in 1969. In 1971, they bought a house in the Island Park neighborhood that would be home to their growing family for five decades. Shortly after, he would take a job at the Fargo Country Club where he served as chef until retiring in 2014.

He dedicated his working life to the food industry, but never brought the stress of the kitchen home. Instead, he brought back delicacies like pâté and beef wellington for the family and pets.

There were always dogs in the Ronson house, none more special to Eric than his last, Copper.

Though he often worked afternoons and nights, when he was home he relished time with his family, loading everyone up in the red International Scout for summer camping trips to Mantrap Lake, Minn., or leading the kids to a sledding hill in winter.

Eric loved the outdoors, deer hunting with friends in the fall, ice fishing in the winter, gardening in the spring and biking to work whenever possible.

While he loved his family at home, he created a kinship in the Fargo Country Club kitchen where he made many lifelong friends who insisted on calling him Harry after a member misheard his name. Alternating between friendly and fearsome - when needed - he took pride in mentoring young cooks who became noted chefs in their own rite. He told newbies that a life in the kitchen would be hard, hot and not for the easily offended and then congratulated them for being a "real cook" after receiving their first sheet pan burn. He instructed young cooks to not only make a great hollandaise, but also how to fix a broken hollandaise quickly to save an eggs benedict.

Even after leaving the Fargo Country Club, Eric stayed busy with his handyman business and working on the house on Ninth Avenue, in which he took great pride.

Ultimately, it was his grandchildren that kept him occupied and amused in later years. When they weren't around, he enjoyed his time with Ardella, either having a drink on the front stoop or in the back yard before she died in 2016.

Though he missed Ardella tremendously, he continued to make friends wherever he went, including Bethany Nursing Home where the staff and residents adored him.
Over the last few weeks, Eric expressed that he wanted to be with Ardella again and his children and friends knew it was time to say goodbye.

He was preceded in death by Ardella, his parents and sister Diana. He is survived by his three children; Daniel (Helen) Ronson of Seongnam, Korea, Kyle Ronson of Fargo and Charlotte Ronson of Fargo. He adored his four grandchildren; Hannah of Seongnam, Korea; Ian and Lauren of Lake Worth, FL and Josephine of Fargo. He is also survived by his sister Shirley Peterson.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18 at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home.
Visitation will be held from 5-7pm followed by a prayer service at 7pm, Wednesday, August 17 at the funeral home.