Ronnie Lee Schinkel, 76, passed away peacefully December 29, 2021 at Frederic Nursing and Rehab where he had resided for the last 3 years.

Ronnie was born to Adolph and Amelia (Zilke) Schinkel on June 11, 1945 in Cumberland, WI.

He spent his early years at the family farm in Almena before moving to Cameron where his parents bought and ran a resort. He struggled in school and it was several years before it was discovered that he was deaf, his parents decided after 8th grade to no longer send him to school so the rest of his skills were self-taught.

He moved to Frederic in 1966 and worked at the Stokley bean factory from 1967 until they closed. He was a handy man that could fix just about everything and he mowed lawns and did snow blowing for many years for several people and businesses in Frederic. Most days you would find him tooling around town in his golf cart, especially during Family Days when he would drive in the parade and throw candy to the kids.

Ronnie’s two loves were bowling and the Green Bay Packers. He spent many years bowling at the Frederic Lanes and was a very good bowler, he looked forward to this guy’s night out. He was also very competitive, if you ever played hearts or carrom with him, you saw a side not everybody saw, one that his nephews loved to bring out. He loved to celebrate just about everything but Christmas and his birthday were the big ones for him. He decked his home out for the holidays and threw the best birthday bashes. He made all the food himself and invited everybody he knew. In his later years this wasn’t so easy but he would still buy a big birthday cake and bring it around town in his golf cart to share with everybody. He never married or had children of his own but he had his special fur-babies, Lee and Sidney the temperamental Pomeranians and the cat with the unmentionable name.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Ronnie though was his infectious laugh. He even won the Best Laugh Award at the nursing home. If he laughed, you laughed and he loved that. He was happiest when he was around people and he was a natural entertainer, I’ll be gadam. He wasn’t too happy about leaving the home he had created for himself in Swanson’s trailer court to move to the nursing home but it didn’t take him long to settle in and make new friends. He loved and was so loved by everybody there.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Adolph and Millie, brother Sidney and sisters Sylvia (Junior) Kaiser and Cheryl (Leroy) Olson. He leaves to mourn his sisters Charleen (Ron) Tessman, Jeanne (Dave) Riesen and brother Bill as well as many nieces and nephews and a host of lifelong friends.

A visitation and time of remembrance will be held at Rowe Funeral Home in Frederic on Monday, January 3, 2022 from 4-6PM. A private internment will be held in the spring.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of Frederic Nursing and Rehab for the wonderful care and compassion they gave to Ronnie in his final years.

Last Update: Jan 02, 2022 10:17 am CST