Ronald R. Gores

Ronald Robert Gores (70) of Grand Forks, North Dakota passed away peacefully at Lilac Homes in Dilworth, Minnesota on Monday, November 30^th, 2020 after a brief battle with cancer.

The oldest of four siblings, Ron was born on Saturday, January 21^st, 1950 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Robert and Dolores (Wasielewski) Gores. The son of an ex-Army father and ex-Navy mother, Ron grew up in a strong Catholic family. He attended Hill High (Class of ’68), a Christian Brothers school for young men, where he participated in basketball while building the morale character and integrity that would shape him into the man his own children would one day want to emulate.

After graduating from Hill High, Ron enlisted in the Air Force where he served four years as a jet engine mechanic, two of which were in Vietnam. He would then join the reserves and later become part of the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo, North Dakota, where, after 42 years of military service, he retired as a Technical Sergeant.

Following a trip to San Diego, California where he helped one of his cousins and her kids for several months while their own husband/father was away in Vietnam, Ron attended the University of Minnesota studying Political Science. While working on his degree, Ron interned at the Capitol Building. There he helped to write the law regarding personalized license plates in Minnesota. He was proud to be able to see personalized plates and say, “I had a hand in that!”. Ron remained an avid Golden Gophers fan the rest of his life. The annual football game against Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s axe was a much talked about and anticipated event each year, as were the military academy collegiate clashes on the gridiron.

Whether it was his bright yellow Plymouth Roadrunner with black pinstripes, or his devilishly handsome mutton chops that caught her eye, come the 29^th of August 1975, Ron was married to Linda Bombeck. In 1981, Ron and his growing family moved to Baudette, Minnesota where they owned and operated a small fishing resort (Rainy River Lodge) on the Rainy River just a short boat ride from Lake of the Woods. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing (even if he did get lost in a swamp for a few days during a hunting trip once!). He loved raising his children in that environment and as his children got older, spent more and more time teaching them to fish as well as the various maintenance activities that were a regular part of home ownership. It didn’t hurt that young kids could easily squirm beneath the cramped foundations of the cabins to get at some of the hard to reach spots for repairs and winterization!

In 1986 the family moved to Fargo, ND where they would spend the school year with the resort shut down for the winter. Ron’s summer weekends were still spent in northern Minnesota teaching some of life’s many lessons sandwiched in between fishing, fishing, and more fishing. The man loved fishing and sharing that passion with his children. Sunday’s were filled with church radio and afternoon football (Go Vikings!). Though you wouldn’t find Ron present in the church pews often, religion was a guiding principle of his life both in how he lived it and in how he treated others. While the Sunday sermons came in loud and clear over the radio, to pick up the Vikings games on the television would sometimes require him to go up on to the rooftop to adjust the wide array of antennae up there to get a good enough signal to make out the players on the field.

Winters for the family in Fargo meant Ron was able to spend more time with them. For his kids, this mostly meant Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo, and later the much improved Tecmo Super Bowl! While he was usually a strict disciplinarian, his fondness for football and love of playing the video game with his kids often led to children being allowed to stay up a bit later on a school night here and there, if it meant the season long tournament could continue.

After retiring from the military and the sale of the fishing resort, Ron bounced around a bit. He moved to Chesapeake Bay, Virginia for several months to house sit for his eldest son while he was on deployment in the Navy. He held numerous jobs over the next few years, including positions at: Food Lion, Fargo Assembly, DHL, and Sam’s Club. After a few years moving about, he settled down in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His door was always open if his kids needed any kind of help, whether it was a few dollars, a place to spend the night, a babysitter, or anything else they would ask of him.

After a health scare in 2006, Ron was committed to making sure his family would remain close after he was gone. He would make trips across country to Texas and New York to visit his children living in those far flung locations. He spent increasing time while at home going to every birthday party he could manage. With nineteen grandchildren, that is no small feat! He also started an annual tradition of gathering all the boys up at the Rainy River for a guy’s fishing weekend. It was a chance to bond and share stories and just “be guys”. While much of those weekends was fishing and eating bacon, there was plenty from those weekends that flowed over into everyday family life.

Following full retirement about eight years ago, Ron became his grandkids biggest cheerleader. Whether it was a school concert, dance recital, play, or sporting event, he made every effort to be there. Whether that meant driving a few minutes or a few hours to be there (rain, shine, or snowstorm), he was always a welcome face in the crowd. At one event where, unbeknownst to Ron, they were honoring military veterans, his grandson was nervous Grandpa would not show up, though he need not have worried. If Ron said he would do something, he would do his darndest to make it happen. His word was important to him, especially when it came to his children and grandchildren. He was never happier than when he was surrounded by his grandchildren. The smile they brought to his face was unmistakable for nothing other than pure love and joy. That translated into Ron being Grandpa and allowing the grandchildren to get away with things his own children would rarely be allowed, like candy before dinner, dessert without cleaning their plate, and other such small transgressions.

Just being around the man made you want to do better. To be better. To try to live up to the good, honest, hard-working lifestyle he embodied. While his children may not have always liked what he had to say, he always spoke truth, hard or not. If challenged, he could have a temper. But if proven wrong he would own that as well. Those values that he fostered will carry on not only in his memory, but also in his children.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Dolores Gores, and his son, Andrew Gores. Ron is survived by six children, Ron Jr. (April), Jennifer (Leonard) Beck, Dan (Rose), Adam (Brittany), Barbara (Carl) Tanner, and William; nineteen grandchildren; and three siblings, Janet (Tom) Horan, Tom, and John.

Funeral arrangements are being provided by Wright Funeral Home in Moorhead, Minnesota. A small military service will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the spring (date to be determined) when his ashes will be interred near those of his parents.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations may be made to www.fishingforlife.org in memory of Ron.