Ronald Merle Paine

Ronald M. Paine, 87, of Rochester, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at Cascade Creek Memory Care in Rochester.

Ron was born July 14, 1935, in Roseau, MN to Leslie and Dorothy (Larson) Paine. He was a graduate of Red Wing High School and went on to attend Winona State University. While at Winona State, Ron met the love of his life in math class, Nancy Pittelko. On November 2, 1957, Ron and Nancy were united in marriage. Ron and Nancy moved to South Dakota where he would finish his civil engineering degree at South Dakota State University. Ron began working for the South Dakota Highway Department and worked on the I-90 highway project. In 1968, Ron and Nancy moved to Rochester where Ron began his lengthy career as the assistant city engineer in charge of construction and maintenance for the city of Rochester until his retirement in 1997. Ron was a member of Bethany United Methodist Church which would eventually merge with Evangel United Methodist Church. He was active in various ministries and had a strong faith in the Lord. He enjoyed being scout master to many and working with Two Rivers Habitat for Humanity, Chanel One and the NOMAD project. Ron loved to go camping, fishing and traveling the United States with Nancy as they visited 46 states. Ron and Nancy also enjoyed going to the North Shore, National Parks and have visited all the state parks in Minnesota. He loved photography, rock collecting, going for walks and dogs. Above all Ron, loved spending time with his grandchildren and his family. He was a kind, caring and a meticulous man. Ron was wise and always offering words of wisdom to others.

Ron is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Nancy; daughters, Dawn (Scott) Simpson of Lakeville, MN, Kathie (Barry) Johnson of Rushford, MN; grandchildren, Kelli Simpson of Minneapolis, MN, Daniel Simpson of Sierra Vista, AZ, Nicole (Matt) James of Mountain Lake, MN and Krista (Sam) Schoutko of Overland Park, KS; great-grandchildren, Brynlee and Cooper James; sister, Beverly Johnson of Rochester; multiple nieces, nephews and a host of other family and friends.

A memorial service will be held 2:30 PM Sunday, February 12, 2023, at Evangel United Methodist Church, 2645 N. Broadway Ave., Rochester, MN. Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM until time of the service. Rev. David Werner will be officiating, and burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona at a later date. Memorials may be made to Evangel UMC, Two Rivers Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, Seasons Hospice or  Channel One Regional Food Bank. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com