William 'Bill' Ronnenberg Sr, 26 Sep 1935 - 17 Feb 2025

RONNENBERG, WARD, CONNER, GIULIANI, BODE, WANG, MCDONALD, STONE, PHELPS, HAERTHER

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 2/26/2025 at 15:54:41

William “Bill” Ronnenberg Sr, 89, passed away on February 17, 2025, at Meth-Wick Manor in Cedar Rapids surrounded by his family.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Friday, March 7th at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. Memorial services will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 8th at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1363 1st Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A luncheon will be served following the service at the church.

Bill was born September 26, 1935, in Cedar Rapids, IA to William and Ardelia (Ward) Ronnenberg. He spent his early years on the family farm before moving to Cedar Rapids. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1953. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served in the United States and Japan from 1953-1957. Upon his return he worked for Collins Radio.

In November 1957 Bill met the love of his life Jo Ann Conner. They were married on July 25, 1959, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Bill retired from Rockwell Collins as Head of Air Transport Training in 1993. During his retirement Bill enjoyed riding Ragbrai, traveling with Jo Ann, wintering in Arizona, spending time with family and attending his grandchildren’s activities. A true outdoorsman, Bill loved camping, canoeing the boundary waters, annual fishing trips, hunting, and traveling to Alaska.

Bill is survived by his children, William Jr. and wife Chiara Giuliani, and their children, Sofia and Luisa of Washington DC; Julie Bode and husband Dwight of Coralville, Iowa, and their children Courtney, Alex (Rylee), and Elle; and Michael and wife Dr. Grace Wang-Ronnenberg, and their children Quinn and Rhett of Manchester, Iowa; and two great granddaughters, Remi and Halsie Bode. He is also survived by his sister Rose McDonald, brother-in-law Bill Stone, sister-in-law Barb Conner and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife JoAnn, his parents, stepfather Jess Phelps, and sister Violet Haerther.

They would also like to thank the healthcare providers and staff at Meth-Wick for their loving care given to Bill.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids.

Published in The Gazette on February 23, 2025.