Obituary: Ronnie Thompson

Ronnie Merle Thompson, 66, of Sturgeon Lake passed away Aug. 25, 2024, in his home with his wife by his side.

Ronnie was born Nov. 15, 1957, to Merle and Jean (Haglund) Thompson at the Butler Hospital maternity ward in Cloquet. He grew up in Blackhoof Township and graduated from Carlton High School in 1975.

Ronnie worked for Country Kitchen and Zalk Josephs Fabricators for many years after high school. In the late 1970s he began his career at Potlatch, retiring in 2017.

Ronnie married Wilma Hedeman in 1986 and they had their sons, Joe, Justin and Jason, along with Wilma's daughter, Crystal.

In 1997, Ronnie married Anna Cekalla, and they made their home in Cloquet for more than 20 years, later moving to Sturgeon Lake.

In retirement, Ronnie and Anna enjoyed being snowbirds in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Ronnie was a lifelong hunter and enjoyed fishing, four-wheeling, and camping at his seasonal site in Edelweiss Campground in Sturgeon Lake.

Ronnie was preceded in death by his father, Merle Thompson, and son-in-law, Jason Raisanen.

He is survived by his wife Anna of Sturgeon Lake; sons, Joe (Christine) of Bloomington, Jason (Taylor) of Cloquet, and Justin (Jasmine Brademan) of Blackhoof; stepchildren, David (Diane) Cekalla of Saginaw, Melissa (Darin) McClain of Virginia, Minnesota, Raymond Cekalla of the state of Virginia, and Aaron (Stephanie) Hulett of Cloquet; mother, Jean Thompson, of Carlton; and siblings, Randy Thompson of Aitkin and Steven Thompson of Fox Lake, Illinois. Ronnie is also survived by nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a niece and nephew.

Visitation: 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. memorial service Thursday, Sept. 5 at Hamlin Hansen Kosloski Funeral Home in Moose Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.

Pine Knot News, Aug. 30, 2024