Obituary: RONALD “RON” BIEBER
BIEBER, 84
August 24, 1935 – August 7, 2020
Aberdeen, South Dakota
A Celebration of Life of Ronald “Ron” Bieber, 84, of Aberdeen and formerly of Leola will be 11:00 am, Friday, August 14, 2020 at Aberdeen First Assembly of God. Rev. Gary Wileman will officiate. The service will be live streamed and available at http://www.Carlsenfh.com under Ron’s obituary.
There will be a prayer service at 7:00 pm, Thursday, August 13, 2020 with visitation from 5:00-7:00 pm with family present at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Black Hills National Cemetery with military graveside rites at a later date.
Ron died August 7, 2020 at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen.
Ronald Alfred Bieber, son of Arthur and Emilie (Buxcel) Bieber was born August 24, 1935 on the family farm 16 miles southwest of Bowdle, SD. He attended East Ryan Rural School and Bowdle High School, graduating with the class of 1953. He then attended the University of South Dakota, graduating in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Ron began working for J.C. Penny in Kansas City, KS, where he managed the men’s department and later for Montgomery Ward in Escanaba, MI. In 1961, Ron and his brother, LeRoy bought 2300 acres of land to begin ranching. Ron entered the United States Army and served from January 1958 through November 1963 as active duty and reserve status. After his honorable discharge, he returned to the ranch west of Leola.
Ron was united in marriage to Lois Menzel on December 29, 1963 at First Presbyterian Church in Lemmon, SD. In 1964, Ron and LeRoy split their operations, and in September 1969, Ron and Lois purchased their first Red Angus cattle. Over the past 50 years they have owned and improved Bieber Red Angus. During those years, he was blessed to work alongside his wife and son, Craig, and family. Ron and Lois made their home on the ranch until they moved to Primrose Westin Court in June 2018. In August 2019, Ron entered Bethesda Home of Aberdeen due to his health.
Ron was passionate about improving his land, his cattle, and had a wide array of knowledge on a range of subjects. Ron had a passion for improving pasture land which led to him and Lois receiving the Excellence in Grazing Award in 1985. Ron’s passion for Red Angus lead him to serve on the Red Angus Association Board for a number of years where he also served as Second Vice President. In 1994, he and Lois were named Red Angus Pioneer Breeder of the Year and in 2003 were named Breeder of the Year. In 2014, they were both honored as one of 50 Most Influential Breeders in the history of the Red Angus breed. Ron also served on the South Dakota Beef Improvement Association and the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. His passion for knowledge about human nutrition led him to serve on the National Cattlemen Beef Association Nutrition research committee.