Ronald Karsnia

Ronald Edward Karsnia died peacefully from colon cancer on August 31, 2020.  He was born August 23, 1942 in International Falls, Minnesota. In 1944 he moved with his parents and 2 older sisters to Frazee, Minnesota where his father helped work a 160 acre farm with Ron’s grandfather, Louis Karsnia. As Ron grew, he began his lifelong love of nature, hunting in the nearby woods and fishing the lakes.  There, God nurtured his quiet patience, persistence, hopefulness, and strength of character.  He shared many adventures with his friend “Big Jim”. He graduated from Frazee High School in May of 1960 and then enlisted in the Navy in July 1961, where he served as a corpsman at the Balboa hospital in San Diego, California until honorably discharged in July 1965.

He was married to Barbara Anne Peto from June 1964 until 1971.  They were blessed with 2 beautiful daughters, Ann Elizabeth Mckissick and Julie Marie Henneman.

In 1965, Ron attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1969 with a BS in Medical Technology.  He was married to Linda Winters from 1973-1993.

He worked several years at Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis before he moved to Crookston Minnesota (1974) where Ron worked as the Lab Director at Riverview Hospital for twenty years.  On most weekends, he continued hunting, fishing, and camping with many good friends. In 1994, Ron moved to Montana for 2 years, working as Lab Director for Holy Rosary Hospital in Miles City. He thrilled to the extended hunting opportunities of Elk, antelope, mule deer, turkey, and geese.

Ron returned to Minnesota in 1996, this time to his cherished place on Lake of the Woods, affectionately known as “Popple Palace”. He worked as Lab Director for the Lakewood Hospital in Baudette, treasuring his proximity to Beltrami State Forest, where he loved to walk grouse trails, pick berries, or to jump in his boat to fish after work.  It was there on August 23, 1997 he married Carol Mary Menard and her children, Phillip John Menard and Katherine Ellen (Katie) Weisbrod.  Ron’s heart, full of love for daughter Ann (Lloyd Mckissick) now encompassed a larger extended family. He loved them dearly.  Ron and Carol were best friends and they were happiest together. By the Grace of God, as two independent people, they navigated a shared life traveling from their Stillwater home to Carol’s family’s Lake cabin in Northwest Minnesota and back to “Popple Palace”.  They loved hosting family and friends and periodically traveling to Colorado or Chicago to share wonderful family gatherings.  Ron’s heart belonged in Minnesota, but he loved his regular adventures to Canada (fishing) and Colorado/ Montana (hunting), and he was even open to traveling to Hawaii and Mexico with friends where he discovered the joy of snorkeling and the colorful fish.

A man of few words, he was funny, telling jokes, making up silly stories, and mixing up words. He played hide and seek with his dog, Painless. Many know of his signature “fox” that accompanied the cards he sent.

He loved projects and problem solving; he was a master at household repairs. He built garages, decks, fish houses and birdhouses and fixed them as they aged. He loved food. He loved growing a garden and canning, tapping maple trees and cooking sap to syrup, hunting morels, harvesting wild rice, cooking roasts, frying fish, and grilling, baking cookies, picking berries and making jelly.  And he generously shared his bounty. He shared his love of hunting and fishing; he welcomed others to his “Popple Palace” and outfitted family and friends with gear, transportation, or guidance (if requested) He delighted in the preparation, thrilled at the experience, and relished the aftermath, including the work and especially the story telling.  He lived a simple, humble life, aware of the gift of each day. He touched so many people who loved him. He remains forever in our hearts.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents: Edward John and Helen Ann Karsnia.  He is survived by his wife, Carol Karsnia, children: Ann (Lloyd) McKissick, grandson Liam, Phillip (Sarah Schwiess) Menard, Katherine (Paul) Weisbrod, granddaughters: Evalyn, Sarah, and Lillian, sisters Dorothy Kachinsky, Peggy(Bruce Maki) Meyhoff, and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Due to the current Covid 19 guidelines and for everyone’s safety, Ron’s service is private and limited to immediate children and family.  We hope to have the funeral service live streamed via St. Michael’s Church in Stillwater’s Facebook page. The service will be held at St. Michael’s Church at 11 am on September 16, 2020. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to  Lakeview Hospital Oncology, or Lakeview Hospice, Stillwater, MN.


Here is the Facebook page link that will have the Service live streamed on Wednesday September 16th at 11am:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/StillwaterCatholics/videos/

Here is the YouTube page link that will have the recorded service available afterwards:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jQU2ksAFpnbFJew-LGelw