Ron Kowalik, age 75, of Prior Lake, MN passed away in his home on October 25, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at St. Michael Catholic Church, Prior Lake, MN with Fr. Thomas Walker presiding. Visitation will be held prior to Mass from 9:30 – 11:00 AM. Interment Dawn Valley Memorial Park, Bloomington. An additional Celebration of Life will be planned in Buffalo, NY at later date.
Livestreaming will be available at St. Michael Catholic Church’s website https://stmichael-pl.org/ and by clicking on the “Mass and Services” tab.
Ronald Thomas Kowalik was born on April 2, 1947 in Buffalo, New York. He grew up in Buffalo, the oldest of three siblings. He was an athlete at an early age, running track in high school and gaining a lifelong love for sports. While in high school, Ron met the love of his life, Lorraine Likus. They were united in marriage on May 3, 1969. Together, they were blessed with three children, and later, five grandchildren. In 1997, Ron and Lori moved to Pennsylvania where Ron pursued a job opportunity with Merck pharmaceutical company. Because their children lived in different states, they did not want to settle in Pennsylvania, so Ron and Lori moved to Minnesota in their retirement.
While in retirement, Ron and Lori visited family often with trips to Florida, Kansas and New York. When in Minnesota, Ron was a regular attendee at St. Michael Catholic Church as his faith was important to him. Humorous and kind, Ron loved entertaining family and friends with his jokes and was always ready for a social event. He enjoyed his golf leagues every week, playing cards with his family and friends, and especially sitting down to cheer on his favorite teams – the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabers. Ron was an avid movie goer, tv watcher and not to mention popcorn eater.
Family was always the center of Ron’s life. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. Despite the distance, Ron was a constant presence in his family’s lives—he was always there to listen, gave the best advice and checked in often with texts and phone calls. He enjoyed nothing more than get togethers for birthdays or simply going to the movies. He was known to bring laughter to any room, but also had a soft, sentimental side. Ron made sure his family knew they were deeply loved and appreciated.
A fun-loving jokester who always put his family first, Ron will be dearly missed by his wife, Lori; children, Kevin Kowalik, Debbie (Scott) Ridgeway, and Cheryl (Patrick) Tomski; grandchildren, Alexandria, Owen, Haley, Maximus and Noah; siblings, Judie Kowalik and Jeff Unger; and other loving nieces, nephew, relatives, and friends.
As Ron always said, “Make it a Great Day!”
