Date of death: 9/5/2013
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1963
Ronald Lambert, age 76, of Hayward, WI passed away Thursday, September 05, 2013 at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, MN.Ronald Lambert was born June 10, 1937 in Indianapolis, IN the son of Joseph “Shy” and Victoria “Vickie” (Zore) Lambert. He was raised in Indianapolis and attended Holy Trinity Grade School and then Saint Meinrad Seminary and Cathedral High School where he graduated in 1955. Ron earned a full scholarship to Xavier University where he played on the football and golf team. While on the golf team he had the privilege to play against Jack Nicklaus. He later graduated from Purdue University. Ron continued his education at Indiana University where he received his Masters of Business Administration. On August 20, 1960 Ron was joined in marriage to Collette Marie Kuehn. Ron began his career as a salesman for Formica Corporation in Indianapolis. He truly loved sales and his work. He took a position with Merillat Industries and eventually became their Director of Sales. Ron and Collette moved to Hayward, WI in 1969 where they purchased Blue Spruce Resort on Grindstone Lake. While Ron worked for Merillat, he and his wife Collette, began numerous business in the Hayward area. They included Old Town Gift Shop, Birch Tree, Timber Cove Tees’, Pioneer Card Shop, Hidden Bay Clothing, CoCo’s Gift Emporium and Hidden Bay Graphics/Sports. He served as President of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, Chairperson for the Lumberjack World Championships, and was a board member for Johnson Bank. He was an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Among his hobbies and interests were sprint and indy car racing, snowmobiling, watching Wheel of Fortune, going to the casino, and taking his children and grandchildren waterskiing. His motto was, “Faith, Family and Fun” which is how he lived his life. Ron is survived by his wife of 53 years, Collette; five children, Tami (Dan) Rusch of Hayward, TC (Michelle) Lambert of Hayward, Kim (Scott) Reeves of Lake Charles, LA, Shannon (Jim) Bobb of Cornell, WI, Lucy (Steve) Kaner of Hayward; eleven grandchildren, Tricia, Drew, Chelsea, Mallory, Austin, Lauren, Anna, Zach, Erika, Katie and Cassidy; one sister, Dolores Runyon of Indianapolis, IN, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and great grandson, Dylan.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7th, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hayward with Father Philip Juza officiating. A time of visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service on Saturday at the church. Interment will be in the Greenwood Cemetery at a later time.In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the Ron Lambert Entrepreneurial Scholarship.