Obituaries

Ronald Kentlin DeMien, a longtime resident of St. Charles passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025 surround by his loving family. He was 80. 

The son of Helen (Pfeiffer) and Fred DeMien, Ron was born on February 13, 1945 in Plymouth, IN. Fred was in Germany serving in the US Army, and eventually received a telegram from the Red Cross in late February informing him of Ron’s birth. Upon Fred’s discharge, the family moved to St. Charles, IL. Ron was an active little boy and loved to play baseball and spent his summers helping his grandpa on the family farm in Indiana. Ron went to St. Charles High school, class of 1963, and played quarterback for the football team and catcher on the baseball team. Ron attended Monmouth College in Monmouth, IL, where he met the love of his life, Judy Williams. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and the quarterback of the Monmouth College Football team, graduating with a degree in Business in 1967. 

Ron and Judy were married at Baker Memorial Methodist Church on June 24, 1967. One year later they settled in to their starter home, which became their forever home that they lived in together for 57 years. They welcomed their son Mark in 1974 and exactly one year later their daughter Heidi was born. Ron worked for Moline Malleable Iron Company from 1967 – 1989. He also ran his own computer software business called CD Real Time in the late 80s. Ron worked as CFO of Insituform in Lamont, IL until his “semi retirement”, as he called it, in 2000. Ron bought, renovated, and flipped houses with a friend for a few years and also worked part time for his sister-in-law as an accountant before fully retiring and concentrating on being a full time grandpa.

Ron loved the outdoors. He was an expert landscaper and gardener, and designed their yards in St. Charles and in Arizona, as well as several patios for his kids. He liked to boat, tube, and water ski, and enjoyed teaching people to waterski just as much. He liked to camp and hike at Devils Lake and the Mississippi Palasades, and to go on snowmobile adventures and maple syruping. And Ron always, always enjoyed sitting around a campfire with friends and family. Ron and Judy were very active and walked at least 2 miles a day. They are well known to their neighbors and, since they carried doggie treats, they were extremely well known to every dog along their normal routes.

Ron was very creative. He had an amazing ability to look at something and not only know how to make it himself, but usually redesign it and make it more efficient in the process. Ron was a talented sand sculptor on the beach, snow fort builder in the backyard, and lego creator in the family room. He was a stained glass artist, pottery sculptor, and an accomplished wood worker on both a small scale, making fantastic pinewood derby cars, and on a large scale doing renovations in his home, and later flipping houses. 

Ron was a huge sports fan, cheering on his Chicago Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks, and any team in the Big Ten, especially Ohio State. Decades of Sundays were spent with a pot of homemade vegetable soup going on the stove, a huge bowl of popcorn, and a Chicago Bears football game playing. He was very competitive and enjoyed playing any kind of card game, and planned his week around his Tuesday poker game and weekly Pegs and Jokers games. 

Throughout their entire married life, Ron and Judy loved to travel. They visited almost every state of the United States, including family trips to Hawaii, California, and Florida when their kids were young, and a month long RV trip through Alaska in retirement. They enjoyed international trips as well to Mexico, Costa Rica, and two boat trips through Europe.

And MOST importantly, Ron was well known for loving his family. Family always came first. He would get right down on the ground to play with his children and his grandchildren. He gave great piggy back rides and was an expert at building just about anything from forts to legos to stuffed animal ferris wheels. He could make a game out of anything. He attended countless volleyball games and cross country meets, circus performances, football games, plays and musicals, concerts, baseball and soccer games, because he got great joy out of watching his kids and grandkids doing the things that they loved. Ron always liked to grill, but spent a lot more time in the kitchen after retirement when he became famous for making belgian waffles, breakfast burritos, and chicken pot pies. He also enjoyed baking and decorating cookies with his grandkids, pulling up a stool so that his little sous chefs could assist.

Ron is survived by his wife of 58 years, Judy DeMien, two children, Mark (Dawn) DeMien and Heidi (Ryan) White; four (very lucky) grandchildren, Aubrie White, Troy DeMien, Megan White, and Owen DeMien; his sister Dyana Beeh; his brother and sister in law, Rob and Pam Williams; five nieces and nephews, and eleven great nieces and nephews.

A “Celebration of Life” will be held for family and friends on November 15, 2025.  Memorials may be directed to the family to be used to plant a Buckeye tree and place a bench at Baker Field Park where countless hours were spent with family and friends playing baseball, tennis, and tag on the playground. 

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