Ronald Rathbun Obituary

Ronald Rathbun passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 24th, 2026. He was preceded in death by both of his brothers Loren and Charles, one sister Priscilla, and his wife of 60 years Barbara. He is survived by his sister Charlotte, his daughter Catherine, his son David, David’s wife Ginger and their two sons Daniel and Michael.

Ron was born in 1932 in Bloomington, Illinois. He grew up in the small farming community of Colfax in the center of the corn belt of Illinois. His ambition and drive were evident very early in life as he was the starting point guard for his high school basketball team despite being only 5’ 7” tall. In 1954, he was awarded a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering with Highest Honors and also was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served two years of active duty, then completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, where he also met and married his wife, Barbara.

Ron worked his entire career for various divisions of the US Geological Survey as a Research Hydrologist. He made three sampling trips on the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota all the way down to New Orleans, Louisiana. His final report and analysis actually were finished sometime after his formal retirement.

Prior to and during his retirement Ron and Barbara travelled extensively. Their variety of trips included a Windjammer sailboat cruise in the Caribbean, taking their RV up to Alaska or Yellowstone, whitewater rafting down the Colorado River, even making two trips to hike the Himalayans in Nepal. His love for the outdoors is evident in his photographical documentation that he leaves behind to be enjoyed.

He was an amazing husband, father, and “dedushka” aka grandfather. May he rest in peace.