| Ron’s time in the Air Force was spent as a heavy equipment mechanic, and after his discharge he completed diesel mechanics college. The couple eventually settled in Appleton, Minnesota and stayed for 45 years, having three kids along the way. Ron worked for John Deere for five years, then opened a repair shop, working mostly on tractors and other farm equipment, with Carol doing the books and running the office. They eventually added a NAPA auto parts store. Then, after decades of self-employment, they decided to retire. That only lasted until Ron had a chance to take over a business digging graves. Carol came back to work, too, handling the office.
Naturally we wanted to know more about such an arcane business:
First off, it became a lot of business – they handled the digging for 88 cemeteries. We were surprised to learn that the profession has it own rhythm: “Everyone wants to bury grandma on a Friday or Saturday,” Ron explained, adding, “we had one Saturday where we buried seven people.”
The saddest part of the business was, of course, funerals for kids. Ron shared an uplifting recollection: “When it’s a small child, everyone wants to help. These are usually young families without a lot of money and they have enough to handle. So the funeral home would donate their time and we would, too. We’d donate everything. Everyone did, all the way through the process.”
Finally, given that this was Minnesota, we also wanted to know about that weather issue that you see in movies, where the ground is frozen and you can’t bury someone. Not true, Ron informed us: “I had a frost pick on the backhoe and we’d dig right through.”
That brought our conversation to one last question, our favorite one about the best advice you’ve ever gotten. Carol didn’t hesitate: “Let your faith be bigger than your fears.” Nice. And Ron added, “Yes, it’s about faith and family. Life is good.” |
