Ronald Bumstead

Forever is too big for us - that’s why we are given one day at a time. Ronald Everest Bumstead treasured each of the days given to him. Compassionate, hardworking, he was a modest man who loved his family and loved the outdoors.

In 1927, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was a quiet and unassuming small town. Here, Clifford and Flossie (Dale) Bumstead were living and awaiting the birth of their first child. Work was scarce in Sault Ste. Marie and the Bumsteads decided to move to Pontiac, the center of the early auto industry. It was here on September 10, 1927 that Ronald Everest Bumstead entered the world – a world that would later hold both joy and sadness for this new life.

When Ronald was just a toddler, Clifford decided to move his family back to Sault Ste. Marie. He and Flossie bought several cottages on the St. Mary's River in the Sault Ste. Marie area and rented them out to vacationers and fishermen. This was quite possibly the birthplace of Ronald’s love for the outdoors and the pleasures of hunting and fishing that he enjoyed all his life. During this time the Bumstead family was steadily growing. Ronald was now the oldest of 7 children, and he often spent time on his grandfather’s dairy farm. One of his chores was to deliver milk before he went to school each day. Young Ronald learned the value of hard work at an early age. He attended a country school, then later went to town for high school. Times were still tough in Sault Ste. Marie and young Ron dropped out of school at 16 to get a job. He went to work on the ore boats that sailed the Great Lakes, and stayed there for the next several years. However, this was not always a year-round job and Ron and a few friends decided to go to Grand Rapids to look for more permanent work. They set up housekeeping at 28th and Division which was close to work. It was also a central spot for exploring the Grand Rapids area. During this time, one of Ron’s friends was dating a girl from the northend of Grand Rapids and invited Ron to come along. Well, this friend’s friend also had a friend and her name was Ruth Hall. Ron and Ruth found that they enjoyed each other's company and dated for the next 2 years, often going to movies and square dances. On February 25, 1950 he and Ruth were married. This happy union produced 6 children, but sadly one died at birth, and years later, their oldest son, Ronald, died at the age of 45.

Ron had worked at Kelvinator for awhile, a local appliance manufacturing company, and also for General Motors, making airplanes for the Korean War. With his own family growing, he looked for additional work to fill the family coffers. At one time he owned and operated a gas station. He also had part interest in a race car. He didn’t do any driving but did the necessary maintenance work on the car. Toward the end of his careear his trucking job was moved to a terminal in Toledo, Ohio, which meant Ron would have to be away from his family. Always looking for ways to better the family’s finances, Ron bought a house in Toledo and rented rooms to other drivers making Toledo their base. His children remember looking forward to the one day each year when the drivers could take their children with them on a trip. They also remember going to Toledo to visit him with their mother when he wasn’t able to make it home. Ron’s investment paid off. When he retired from the trucking business at the age of 57, he was able to sell the house in Toledo – for a profit.

Ron loved driving a truck, but after retirement, he and some friends decided to start a kitchen cabinet company. Ron found he really liked using his hands and working with the wood. He was always pleased to see the finished product. However, the company did not prove big enough to support all the families and it eventually closed. Ron was now able to spend time on another love – fixing machinery. Perhaps from the days of working on the race car, he loved engines. Restoring old Ford tractors became a hobby and he even got an old bull dozer running. The dozer had been abandoned on his property near Croton Dam where the family had a cottage. He considered it a great accomplishment when that engine turned over for the first time, but judging by the huge smile on his face when he was driving it, the real pleasure was in the driving.

Ron had always had a love for the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He and Ruth had property in northern Michigan near Irons, a small cabin in the woods. This was one of Ron’s favorite places because here he could hunt and fish to his heart’s content. He would have liked to live there year round but the primitive conditions were not conducive to the harsh Michigan winters. This became a favorite family spot, the site of many fond memories, and in later years other family members built adjoining cabins on the property. Ron’s favorite pastimes were hunting and fishing. Ruth often said that when he was working, he would hunt for 2 weeks and talk about it for the other 50 weeks. After a hunting trip to Newfoundland he really did have something to talk about. He shot a 900 pound moose, supplying moose meat for both friends and family.

During Ron’s retirement, he and Ruth would often spend time in Florida in their 5th wheel camper. They, and many of Ron’s fellow truckers, would get together for an annual reunion and camping weekend, where many great stories were shared. Ron also enjoyed fishing on his boat on Lake Michigan with his son, Ron, looking for those Michigan coho salmon.

Ronald E. Bumstead, of Grand Rapids died Sunday, May 23, 2004 . His son Ronald preceded him in death. His family includes his wife of 54 years, Ruth; his children: Vivian Lobdell, Andrew Scott Bumstead, Paul and Jacinda Bumstead, Russell Bumstead; his grandchildren: Cassandra Zarraga, Erika Lobdell, Paul R. Bumstead Jr., Lisa Stedman, Nichole Bumstead, Jami Bumstead; great granddaughter Vivika Lobdell; his brother Clifford Bumstead, his sisters and brothers-in-law Darlene and Newt Cryderman, Sandra and William Gustman, and nieces and nephews. Funeral and committal services will be held Thursday at 11 A.M. at the Van Strien – Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield N.E. with interment to follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. Mr. Bumstead reposes at the funeral chapel where relatives and friends may meet his family Tuesday from 7-9 P.M. and Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Please visit Ronald’s personal memory page to leave a memory, make a memorial contribution or sign the online register book. For those who wish, memorial contributions to the Salvation Army or the Mayo Clinic would be appreciated.

Ron Bumstead will always be remembered as a hard-working man who loved his family, the outdoors and had a passion for hunting and fishing. He will be greatly missed.