Obituary of Ronald "Ron" Dean Pederson
After many years of fighting cancer Ronald "Ron" Dean Pederson, aged 77, passed away peacefully at home in February of 2019 with his wife and daughters at his side.
Ron was born and raised in Fordville, North Dakota, a small farming town whose population never went beyond several hundred. In 1965 he moved to Santa Cruz, California, where his sister Kathryn and her husband Robert Twaddle had recently located. It was here he met the love of his life Nancy on a blind date and three weeks later they married in a backyard ceremony at his in-laws home on Poplar Avenue. Together Ron and Nancy raised two daughters and shared nearly 52 years of marriage.
His local community service began in 1969 as a volunteer firefighter for the Live Oak Fire District and he joined their Board of Directors in 1980. In 1987 the Live Oak, Capitola and Soquel Fire Districts merged, becoming the Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County. Ron became one of the founding members of that newly formed board upon which he remained an active board member until stepping down in 2018 due to health issues. By that time he had the distinction as the last founding member to hold such office. Ron felt honored to be part of an organization that served the community with integrity.
While his daughters, nephews and nieces were still young Ron was doting and entertaining with plenty of good-natured antics to make them all smile and laugh. He also loved sweeping his family away on epic road trips to places like Death Valley, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons to experience the country’s natural beauty and learn of its history.
Living the simple life in Santa Cruz was all Ron needed to feel fulfilled. Maintaining his “castle” in the Santa Cruz Gardens, chatting up neighbors, friends and family, tending to his vegetable and citrus gardens and sitting with his wife in their backyard all brought him great joy on a daily basis.
For nearly 50 years Ron worked selling paper products to markets and grocery stores throughout the Santa Cruz and Monterey areas. His co-workers at Area Distributing Company and local customers were very special to him. Even in his advanced stages of cancer he was determined to keep up his sales route to stay personally connected to his clients.
Ron is survived by his wife Nancy, their daughters Becky Pederson and Laura Bargas, and son-in-law Gregg Bargas of the Santa Cruz area. Also surviving him are his sisters Roslyn Stevens of Salinas, Ellen McClure of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Kathryn Twaddle and her husband Robert of Santa Cruz, and many nieces, nephews and their children. He was preceded in death by his brother Dwain Pederson of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Please join us as we celebrate the life of the World’s Greatest Dad & Husband starting at 11:00 am on Friday March 22nd at the Chaminade Resort, 1 Chaminade Lane in Santa Cruz. Free valet parking will be provided.
Ron and his family were extremely grateful for the professionalism and kindness of the hospice program personnel who made it possible for him to spend his final weeks in the comfort of his home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Hospice of Santa Cruz County, 940 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.
In Loving Memory
Ronald "Ron" Pederson
