Remembering Father Ron

Last week, many in the community were shocked and deeply saddened to hear about the passing of beloved longtime area Catholic Priest Father Ron Colombo. Colombo faithfully served multiple parishes in the community in an over two decade tenure and in that time he touched and impacted countless lives.

Father Ron was born Ronald Allen Colombo to William Colombo Sr. and Marie (Albert) Colombo. He and his two brothers and two sisters grew up in the Sturgeon Bay area and attended Corpus Christi Catholic Parish throughout their childhoods. Father Ron attended high school and junior college at Sacred Heart Seminary in Oneida and would go on to receive degrees in theology and philosophy from St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis (near Milwaukee).

After being ordained at his home parish in Sturgeon Bay by the Most Reverend Bishop Aloysius Wycislo in May of 1972, Father Ron began his ministry career in Antigo as the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary's Parish as well as the Chaplain of Langlade Community Hospital. Colombo then spent time ministering at a number of parishes including St. Jude's in Green Bay, St. Mary's in Oshkosh and St. John Parish back in Antigo before serving as pastor at St. Pius X in Appleton for eleven years from 1980-1991. After St. Pius X, Father Ron served as administrator and later pastor to Holy Family Parish in Marinette. For two years, he was the temporary administrator for St. Mary's in Peshtigo before making his way to the Denmark area.

When Father Ron first began his ministry in our community, no one was expecting him to stick around for very long. He was appointed temporary administrator at  St. James Parish in Cooperstown in 1993. Luckily for all who would be served by him in his two decades in the community, he was soon appointed pastor of St. James where he would make himself a staple of the Cooperstown community where he lived for seven years. During that time, starting in 1999, he also helped out a nearby parish by serving as the temporary administrator of St. Joseph - St. John Parish in Pilsen.

In the new millennium, Father Ron took on even more faith-filled responsibility when he assumed the helm of two more parishes. In 2000, he began serving as pastor for St. James in Cooperstown as well as All Saints in Denmark along with the Holy Trinity Mission Parish in New Denmark. After nine years, he was tasked with even more, adding the parishes of St. Joseph in Kellnersville and St. Mary's Parishes in Glenmore and Stark, creating what was termed the Circle of Faith Catholic Community. From 2009 until his achievement of "Senior Priest Status" in 2014, Father Ron served as pastor of a whopping six parishes scattered across the Denmark area.

Father Ron achieved his much deserved retirement in 2014, with many, if not all, of his hundreds and hundreds of his parishioners across six parishes saddened to see him go. He retired to his native Sturgeon Bay where he enjoyed reading, watching Wisconsin sports teams and fishing.

When news of Father Ron's passing first broke, many took to social media to express their grief as well as their appreciation for a life well lived in true devotion to Jesus and his teachings. On Wednesday, September 20, family, friends and many former parishioners gathered at Huehns Funeral Home in Sturgeon Bay. The rosary was prayed before visitation from 4 - 7 p.m., concluding with a prayer service led by Reverend Anthony Birdsall. The next day, visitation continued at Father Ron's home parish of Corpus Christi where the funeral mass was held at 10 a.m. led by the Most Reverend David L. Ricken. Many former parishioners also made the journey for the funeral that was also attended and over saw by nearly two dozen priests. Father Ron was laid to rest beside his family at St. Joseph Cemetery in Sevastopol.

Father Ron's impact on the greater Denmark community cannot be understated and his legacy will continue on for generations to come. He was both a source of endless joy in the celebrations of good times as well as a beacon of steadfast support in navigating the bad. His devotion to the teachings of Jesus and his parishioners was all but unmatched in this world and will be sorely missed by all who truly knew him. Although he may be gone from this world, his effect will live on through the countless lives he touched and the example of a faith-filled life he set.