Ron Holmberg, age 93 and longtime seasonal resident of Blue Lake, passed peacefully on April 24. Ron was preceded in death by his parents Al and Esther (Wickman), his wife Cynthia (Brooks), his sister Shirley Linder, his nephew and niece Jay and Shari Linder, and his daughter-in-law Lisa (Lander) Holmberg.
For over six decades, Ron and Cynthia spent time at Blue Lake, enjoying its crystal water and unsurpassed serenity. Their first visit was a casual invitation by friends in 1960 to join them for a weekend at Myrna and Clifford White’s cabin on the island. During that visit, Cynthia and the White’s son, Bob, couldn’t help but think they knew each other. It wasn’t until the last day of the visit that the two realized they had worked summer jobs in the same office in the 1950s. The strange coincidence turned into tradition when the Whites invited Ron and Cynthia to visit the following summer and the next and next and next. Over the subsequent 30 summers, the family spent a week or two at the cabin. “It’s not summer without Blue Lake,” the kids would say, but that meant more than the lake. Bob and Grace and their three children, Martha, Manya, and Mark, had become extended family, and a trip to the cabin was like visiting close cousins.
In the early-1980s, the paper company land was platted into residential lots, and the family happened to be at Blue Lake a few days ahead of the start of the sale. It had been clear the family would soon outgrow the White’s cabin, and Ron and Cynthia had been actively looking for property on the lake. So, on that visit Ron and Cynthia made many trips across the lake in the cabin boat to walk the vacant land and find the lot they wanted. When the real estate office opened on the morning the lots went up for sale, Ron was there to greet the agent. He put a downpayment on the lot he and Cynthia had picked, and the tradition switched to the north side of the lake. In 1985, they began construction of the home, and the family moved in the next year. For the next several years, visits were confined to weekends or a week here and there, but after Ron retired in 1992, they began to enjoy trips of many weeks in a row across all seasons.
Their appreciation of the lake only grew as they spent more time there and introduced their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, and countless friends to this special place. Both Ron and Cynthia served terms on the Blue Lake Association, and Cynthia put pen-to-paper in a love letter to the lake, Blue Lake Lore, her history of the lake and Minocqua region. Cynthia’s last visit to the lake was summer 2021; Ron’s last visit was Beef-a-Rama weekend last year. Everyone was there – Ron, four children and their three spouses, four grandchildren and their three spouses, four great-grandchildren, and six dogs – and Ron basked in the loving laughter and chaos which truly was as much what made Blue Lake special to them as was the lake itself.
Beyond Blue Lake, Ron had a long and successful career at Combined Insurance, later AON, where he rose from Combined’s first actuary to AON’s Chief Administrative Officer. He grew up on the south side of Chicago, attending Hirsch High, and was a graduate of DePauw University, where he met Cynthia. The two married after college and spent the next 66 years as inseparable partners until Cynthia died in 2022. Both enjoyed travel, and over 60 years they visited 49 of 50 states and countries on every continent but Antarctica. With the children in tow during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, they traveled to national parks and cities across the country. In later years, they gathered at US destinations to celebrate milestone anniversaries with the children, grandchildren, and respective spouses. Both Ron and Cynthia were dedicated to their alma mater, and they endowed a scholarship at DePauw for many years. Ron also served on the boards of Music of the Baroque and The Salvation Army. He will be remembered for his positive outlook, generosity, and sometimes too-long stories. Both he and Cynthia lived life to its fullest extent, never missing an opportunity to learn something new, meet new people, and aim to help others achieve their highest potential. Both will be missed by all who knew them.
Ron is survived by his children David (Cara), Steven (Susan), Mark (Doug Nelson), and Susan, his grandchildren Nina (Will O’Keefe), Elizabeth (Kyle Blankenbeckler), Benjamin, and Kathleen (David Laughlin), his great-grandchildren Liam O’Keefe, Milo and Lula Blankenbeckler, and Jack Laughlin, his brother-in-law John Linder, and numerous cousins and friends.
A memorial service was held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday May 20 at Northfield Community Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials made be made to The Salvation Army (https://tinyurl.com/RKHSalArmy), DePauw University (https://tinyurl.com/RKHDePauw), or Music of the Baroque (https://tinyurl.com/RKHBaroque). In lieu of tears, smile, raise a glass, and tell a story. (Full notice at https://www.donnellanfuneral.com/.)
…and we surely will, because I’m pretty certain that when we get to heaven, Al will be there with a wink, a smile and a joke to tell. 😉 Yet, it is with a very heavy heart that I share the news of Al’s passing on April 27th in Minocqua, Wi. The patriarch of the Blue Lake Colianni family, Al leaves a legacy of love and family. He will be missed by many.
Well, don’t get too excited, folks; it’s just the Blue Lake outlet. I took a walk down Hacker the other day and it sure was nice to hear the water flowing. Never mind that there is still a foot and a half of snow and who knows how many inches of ice on the lake! I’m pretty sure it will be June before the mountain of snow at the end of my driveway melts away.
Blue Lake Preservation Association 