Son of a German Minister, this fun loving hard working self-made man who loved J&B Scotch is truly a hero to me. Born on May 12, 1935, Ron Erb died in March 1995 from pancreas cancer. Up until November 1994 he was active and enjoying life. Even when sick he never lost his sense of humor or sense of dignity. But let's go to the photos! First, here is a picture of our family from 1968; dad was 33 years old. My mom Nell is next to him, I'm in the front row with Kerry and Roni.
Dad was a devoted Vikings fan, with season tickets -- during his bout with pancreas cancer he received an autograph cap from then Viking QB Warren Moon. I went to a Vikings game with him in 1995 just before he found out about his disease -- we saw a great game, with the Vikings winning 33-30 over Miami, though we each enjoyed Dan Marino's performance for Miami. I really missed him last year when the Vikes had such a good season. Here's dad a couple months before his death:
How about a bit of time travel -- I'm not sure how old dad was here, I'd guess around 15 or so:
One of the memories we all have of dad is him by the fireplace. During winter we had fires every day. Dad was probably about 45 in this photo:
And finally, dad had a couple years in the Navy, which, judging from the stories he would tell, were fun times. Luckily he served in the mid-fifties, after Korea and before Vietnam. I think he was about 19 years old here:
I could go on, but dad was not one to enjoy rambling, so I'll simply note that Ron Erb brought joy and fun into every life he touched. I miss him and love him, as do my sisters Roni and Kerry. Hopefully wherever he is there is an internet hookup (he was a pioneer in the computer business, working with computers as early as 1963!) and he can check out this website dedicated to him. I think he'll like that I did it in purple and gold!