Ronald Thalman

Ronald K. "Ron" Thalman (1951-2010) CEDAR FALLS- Ron was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on March 10, 1951, the son of Lowell L. and Marguerite R. "Peggy" O'Neale Thalman. He attended Malcolm Price Laboratory School, graduating in 1969. After taking a few years off, he enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. After two years at UNI, Ron transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville. He received his degree in Entomology, and began working for the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). He received several awards while working with the agency. In 1984, Ron was transferred to the main station and continued his research not just in Miami but traveled weekly to Haiti and to Weslaco, Texas. Finally in 1987, he was transferred to Kappa, Hawaii where he continued his study on the re-ratification of fruit flies. After three and a half years in Hawaii, Ron decided to leave the government and move back to the states to be closer to family. In 1992, he started working for North Carolina State University (it was quite a change from insects to fish). Most of Ron's work at NCSU was developing programs for data analysis. Ron moved back to Cedar Falls in 2002 to help care for his mother and father. In 2004, Ron moved to Dike, IA, where he took up the grand sport of golf. He loved golf, but because of his COPD he was very limited to how much he could play on any given day. Ron was also a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes; however, if they were having a mediocre season and Florida was having a winning season, he would cheer for Florida. He also threw the University of Hawaii into the mix. That way, he was sure to have a "winning" team somewhere. Ron died Thursday, December 2, 2010, from a long term fight with COPD. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lowell and Peggy Thalman. He is survived by two sons, Shaun Thalman of Las Vegas, NV, and Tim Thalman of Columbia City, IN; a grandson, T.J. Thalman of Columbia City; and two brothers, Bob (Barb) Thalman of Dike, IA, and Bill (Sharron) Thalman of Des Moines, IA. Services will be held 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Richardson Funeral Home, with burial in Greenwood Cemetery, both in Cedar Falls. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, and also for one hour prior to services Friday. Memorials may be directed to the Western Home Communities Thalman Square.