Ronald “Grog” Virgil Bengfort

Thursday, August 31, 2017 7:56 pm

Ronald “Grog” Virgil Bengfort, 62, of Postville, formerly of St. Lucas, died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, at his home, of natural causes. A funeral Mass is at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in St. Lucas, with Rev. Kyle Digmann celebrating the Mass. Inurnment will follow the Mass at the church cemetery. Friends may greet the family from 4 to 7 p.m. at the church Monday, Sept. 4. Visitation will continue an hour prior to the Mass Tuesday at the church. Online condolences for Ronnie’s family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.

Ronald “Grog” Virgil Bengfort was born Jan. 5, 1955, in West Union, the son of Virgil and Linda (Wichman) Bengfort. He attended Turkey Valley Schools and was a 1973 graduate from Turkey Valley High School. It was in high school that Ronnie’s love for sports began. He was a remarkable athlete and excelled in football and basketball during his high school years. Outside of sports he enjoyed working on the farm. While in high school, Ronnie’s help was needed on the farm full time and he was ready to drop out of football, when his coach showed up on his doorstep begging him to stay on the team, which he did.

Following high school, he began driving truck for multiple area trucking companies, Lowe’s, Lynch’s and Mihm’s. Ronnie always enjoyed driving truck. He later started to work at Agriprocessors in Postville. Working hard and never missing work were two very important qualities to Ronnie.

Sports remained important to Ronnie. While living in Postville he followed all the local area sports teams. It didn’t matter if it was football, basketball or even soccer, Ronnie enjoyed following the teams. He always knew the stats of the players, and people often wondered how he could keep all those stats and players straight. Along with following local sports teams, Ronnie enjoyed going to the YMCA to exercise.

Ronnie’s nieces and nephews were very important to him. He always kept in touch with them and followed their lives intently. Ronnie was also a huge Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs and Iowa Hawkeyes fan.

Ronnie is survived by one brother, Darrell (Pat) Bengfort of Weldon Spring, Mo.; four sisters: Joan (Pete) Parker of Auburn, Neb., Jean Czerny of Englewood, Fla., Lois (Tom) Kuennen of Decorah and Mary Kay (Ron Larson) Stee of New Hampton; 11 nieces and nephews: Lisa (Noble) Scoville, Tim (Leah) Bengfort, Linda (Casey) Thurman, Jeff (Lisa Katherine) Parker, Jill (Ryan) Scanlon, Michele (Cliff) Davis, Daniele (Lewis) Taylor, Ted (Nicholle) Kuennen, Bobby (Ellie) Kuennen, Natasha (Kevin Schmitt) Rausch, Nathan (Sarah Leidahl) Stee; many great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one nephew, Steven Bengfort, Feb. 4, 2001; two brothers-in-law, Larry Evans and Howard “Buckey” Czerny.