Jim Ranzenberger Memorial Fund

Thank you for being part of Jim's life. He spent his life working hard to live as a Simple Man. He loved his life with Gayle on the horse farm, and loved the kids and grandkids and the many (many) dogs, cats and horses they kept and raised together over the years.

After growing up in and around the Caledonia area with nine siblings, he eventually met and settled down with Gayle in the mid-1980s. He spent years working hard as a timber appraiser, traveling all around the southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa area, appraising and cutting trees. He and Gayle also spent years working hard to keep an Appaloosa horse farm, and to enjoy trail riding with friends and family.

When he had downtime, he enjoyed listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and other classic rock and country music, playing cribbage, playing with the dogs, having a Busch beer or maybe some windsor, and resting after a hard day of work. He loved to watch old westerns, a longtime favorite being the series Gunsmoke, and could be found sitting on the couch with multiple dogs, chuckling at the antics of Festus.

He had a deep-seated sense of right and wrong and believed in being honest and straightforward. He had a big heart that couldn't help but care for the small and frail, regardless of the stern face he tried to put on to cover it up. He had a big sense of humor and appreciated sarcasm, but had little patience for formality or overcomplication.

Jim worked hard, helped raise three kids and a farm full of critters, and was surrounded by many many people who knew and loved and appreciated him and his straightforward, down-to-earth approach to life. He was hard to get to know but easy to get along with as long as you left the BS at the door, loved spending time with friends, family, and animals, and was one of the hardest-working and most dependable people any of us is likely to meet. In the end, after a long battle with a hereditary disease, he left us on August 19th around 8 am, and is now, in the words of his favorite song, a Free Bird.

Thank you for remembering and honoring Jim, and for your support during this difficult time. Any donation you can make to help offset the considerable cost of his care and memorial would be greatly appreciated.