Ronald E. Vandenberg, Appleton, age 74, died at his home on Monday, May 6, 2024.  He was born in Appleton on July 6, 1949 to the late Leo and Marion (DeGoey) Vandenberg.  Ronald married Debbie (Schaefer) Vandenberg on June 27, 1998.  Ron proudly served in the U.S. Army for three years before working as an engineer at We Energies prior to his retirement.

Ron was happiest when he was busy.  He always had a vision of what something could be and he also had the skill to bring his vision to fruition. He spoke fondly of growing up on the family farm learning many skills from his father.  In his young adult years, he remodeled an old farmhouse giving it a beautiful new life.  He turned the quarry on the property into a swimming pond with a waterfall and added walking trails to enjoy the view.

When Ron married Debbie he lovingly designed their home in Darboy, and together they enjoyed working on the landscape of their beautiful yard.  Ron loved anything to do with a shovel, whether it was snow or dirt Ron was happiest in the outdoors. He was frequently found in the summertime with his wheelbarrow and shovel in hand.

Ron led a very active life until his stroke in 2017.  He and Debbie enjoyed numerous camping trips and loved traveling with friends.  Ron also had a passion for volleyball.  He played on many teams throughout his adult life. Without a doubt, his family and teammates will remember his celebratory backflips when he would win a game (even into his 50th decade of life!).

Ron treasured time spent with his grandchildren and enjoyed playing with them, whether it was a sporting activity or board game.  In the winter, he built them a sledding hill in his backyard, and also had fun taking a few trips down it himself!

Down to earth and always smiling, he was well liked by those that knew him. He was well known for taking his daily walks around Darboy and into the surrounding towns. He was also known for his knowledge of politics and agree with him or not, it didn't take long to know his feelings about it when the conversation arose.

Ron is survived by his wife of 25 years, Debbie; son, Cody Vandenberg of Neenah; step son, Shawn (Sara) Vandenberg of Sherwood; grandchildren:  Tristan Vandenberg, Gina (Kyle) Kroll, Teddy, Owen, Joseph, Liam and Isaac Vandenberg; siblings:  Lyle (Karen) Vandenberg, Janice (Tim) Day, Roy (Pauline) Vandenberg, Carl (Wendi) Vandenberg, Carol Haas, Shirley Behling, Denny Vandenberg, and Leo (Sharon) Vandenberg; and brothers and sisters-in-law:  Linda Vandenberg, Kim Vandenberg, Shirley Vanderloop, Bev (Bob) Hess, and Bob (Pat) Schaefer.  He is further survived by numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by Debbie's parents, Cletus and Betty (Siebers) Schaefer; brothers:  Jerry and Vernon Vandenberg; brothers-in-law: Al Behling and Allen Vanderloop; sister-in-law, Amy Vandenberg; and niece, Amy Merckx.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 9, 2024 at O'CONNELL FUNERAL HOME (1776 E. Main Street, Kaukauna) beginning at 5:00 p.m. until the time of Funeral at 7:00 p.m. with Deacon David Van Eperen officiating.  Military honors, conducted by the Kaukauna V.F.W. 3319 and American Legion Post 41, will immediately follow.  There will be a Celebration of Life in September when his out of state relatives can join us.

The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at Moments Hospice for all of their genuine care and concern during Ron's last week of life.  Also, thank you to good friend Mary Lou (Neb) for all of the help and support she gave Debbie through Ron's illness.