With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our beloved father, Ronald Douglas Puhl, of Lakeville, MN, on March 26th, 2026, at the age of 86. He died peacefully, surrounded by family, after a brief stay in the hospital.

Ron was a simple man by his own declaration. Those around him were drawn in by his kind, easy-going nature. The jokes were always plentiful. And laughter inevitably ensued. We will miss him dearly.

Ron’s origin story begins in the heartland, in Menomonie, WI, where he was born and raised. He often spoke fondly of his maternal grandfather’s farm near the neighboring town of Hay River. Grandpa Harrison kept Ron busy on the farm during the long summer days of the mid-1950s. Ron also enjoyed walking in the woods and spending time along the creeks near the farm.

As a young man out of high school, Ron enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to an aircraft carrier that toured many ports around the world. While on the carrier, he trained as an early warning system operator and learned valuable skills in electronics. This led to a successful career designing electrical circuitry for the Control Data Corporation. Although the electrical work paid the bills and put food on the table for his family, he always had a dream of driving the “big rigs.” Later in his life he achieved his goal, but settled for a bus instead of a milk tanker. He became a bus driver for Minneapolis-area transit services. He was an excellent, courteous, friendly and reliable driver.

Ron was blessed with a supportive, loving family. He had many strong women in his life. He loved his mother, Crystal and sisters Pat and Diane dearly, but would joke how they drove him crazy sometimes. He could always retreat to the safety of watching a Packers game with his father, and with some good beer, of course.

Ron tackled fatherhood head-on, raising us 3 daughters in the quiet, suburban city of Richfield, MN. He did all of those amazing “dad” things: took us camping, taught us how to fish, helped us with our paper routes on those cold Minnesota mornings, and taught us how to drive. He loved us unconditionally and provided for our every need.

Later in his life, Ron moved to the Highview Hills community in Lakeville. He lived there independently until shortly before his death. He developed many close friendships among the residents and staff. He was a man on the move and often hard to track down. You might have found him calling bingo one day and setting up cornhole the next. And on Monday nights, he led a poker game with a loyal group of close friends. He even won a popularity contest, but was too modest to accept his title.

Ron is survived by his loving daughters Kathleen A. Rumppe (Robert), Pamela A. Puhl-Quinn and Nancy A. Robinson (David); his grandchildren Jonathan P. Rumppe (Nicole), Joshua M. Rumppe, Sarah A. Steele (Samuel Gottlieb) and Benjamin K. Quinn; his great-grandchildren Conrad Rumppe and Bruce Steele; and his niece Susan R. Konezny (Gregory). Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Robert D. and Crystal F. Puhl of St. Cloud, MN and his sisters Patricia A. Huber and Diane K. Vargason.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 11th, 2026, at the Cremation Society of Edina, 7110 France Ave S, Edina, MN 55435. Visitation starts at 9:30am, Service starts at 10:30am. Lunch will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, charitable gifts in Ron’s name can be given to DARTS - Aging Services in Dakota County or the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Anchors Away, Dad! We wish you smooth sailing on your next grand adventure!