Ronald Dubbelde
Nominated by Linda Rosenthal his Daughter
Ronald Dubbelde is from Corn Belt Energy Corporation
When I think about why my dad deserves to be “Father of the Year,” some of my best memories come to mind. Dad raised us (my 4 siblings and I) on the family farm and that, of course, taught us many valuable life lessons, such as hard work, dedication, how much family means and the value of a dollar. Dad never put anything higher than family- making sure we had everything we needed (maybe not always everything we wanted, but we never did without!), spending quality time with us and taking care of our Mom. They have been happily married for over 57 years now. On their 50th anniversary, dad gave mom the diamond ring she always deserved; it was such a special moment! Of course, he wrapped it in a gun case- his sense of humor is the best! He has continued to take such good care of us by being such a wonderful role model for his grandkids and great grandkids! He always loved teasing them about the Boogyman, but now makes sure the barns are decorated for their weddings, the new babies always have a John Deere hat and that we still dance to “Sneaky Snake (a song from 1974)” at every family function.
My dad’s name is Ron Dubbelde and he is a lifetime member of Corn Belt Energy Corporation. On February 11, 2016 he turned 75 years old. Born and raised in Stanford, IL, and only semi-retired from farming, dad still raises cattle, is an active member in his town meetings, serves as the road commissioner, meets his “coffee buddies” daily, takes welcome baskets to new families in the community, attends church and supports just about every fundraiser in every organization. His favorite is the Stanford Good Ole Days. This event is held every August and in a small town, is a big deal! It’s a small carnival/cookout/firework show and I still love how happy he gets when he sees us all show up to support it. Dad taught us how to mow, walk beans, bale hay, raise a garden and even how to re-clean a house when we tried to breeze through it! We didn’t always have a lot, but we got to stay up late listening to country music on the weekends and he took us to the State Fair every summer. He took us camping and fishing and those are still my favorite things to do, even today.
Dad doesn’t know a stranger and that’s probably why half of his community is always invited and shows up to our annual family hog roast each year! He’s only a phone call away when anyone needs anything. Everyone has so much respect for him. He is so deserving of this award because the word “father” is so interchangeable for him. He could easily be the Brother-Son-Friend-Husband-Grandfather-Uncle of the Year, but nothing makes me prouder than to be his daughter, so I would love to see him as Father of the Year!
