Ron Chamberlain 1949 - 2019

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Irvin (1983) and Agnes (1998)
Chamberlain; sister, Grace Gaul (2012); brother-in-law, Garry Gaul
(2016);  niece, Kathy Gaul (2018); brother-in-law, Glen Lord (1994);
niece, Wendy Lord (2019); and by all of his aunts and uncles. He is survived by
his daughter, Wendy Schulte of Arizona; four granddaughters, Berlyn, Brooke,
Tecka and Toddi; two great-grandchildren; brother, Reverend Robert Chamberlain
of Des Moines, Iowa; sister, Betty Lord (Dick) Dinan of Elkader, Iowa; twin
siblings, Al (Paula) Chamberlain and Alice Chamberlain both of Omaha, Nebraska;
twin siblings, Duane (Kathy) Chamberlain of Omaha, Nebraska and Jane (Dave)
Olsasky of Des Moines, Iowa; sister, Diane (Dave) Kleffman of Glenwood, Iowa;
and many nieces, nephews, and friends who loved him and will miss his ability
to talk about their ancestry and Iowa history.  

Ron died on December 28, 2019, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in
Omaha, Nebraska, attaining the age of 70 years, 9 months and 8 days.

Ron was instrumental in founding the Western Iowa Pioneer Cemetery Association
(W.I.P.C.A.) in 2010. He was also a member of the Panama Athletic Association,
Panama Community Chorus, Shelby County Historical Society, the Harrison County
Genealogical Society, and the Golden Kiwanis in Harlan. A favorite interest of
his was the veterans who served in the Civil War, one of whom was his
great-grandfather Samuel Sewell Chamberlain, who was a POW during the war and
is buried in the Washington Township Cemetery in Panama, where Ron will be laid
to rest.

Ron was also passionate about writing his column for the Harlan Newspaper, “Coffee
With Ron”, for the last 6 years, covering topics ranging from personal history,
local celebrations, trivia, and other thoughts and memories from the past.

His love for history led him to memorize all 99 counties of Iowa, which he could
name in less than a minute. He devoted much interest to the one room school
house, the school building which was moved from the country into Panama. When
it was purchased by Msgr. Schiltz, pastor, it was used as part of St. Mary's
School System until 2005. Today the “Panama One Room School House Museum”
continues as an area tourist attraction. 

Ron loved sports, history and genealogy. He played high school baseball,
basketball, town-team baseball, basketball and attended college on a baseball
scholarship. He played baseball for over 33 years, coached baseball for 20
years, and coached basketball for 15 years. He was a salesman for World Book
encyclopedia for 18 years, winning many distinguished local and national
awards, but his main ambition was to become a teacher. He taught in many school
districts in southwest Iowa, both as a teacher and as a substitute. His
favorite saying was “Ordinary people working together do extraordinary
things”. 

Ronald Joseph Chamberlain was born on March 20, 1949, to Irvin C. and Agnes M.
(Petsche) Chamberlain in Harlan, Iowa. He received his elementary and secondary
education at St. Mary's School of Panama/Portsmouth, Iowa, and graduated from
John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, Nebraska. In addition, he continued his
education at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, and Iowa Western Community College
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he received teaching and coaching endorsements.

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March 20, 1949 ~ December 28, 2019 (age 70)

Ronald Joseph Chamberlain