Ronald Dean Brown

Ronald Dean Brown, 74, of Cedar Falls, passed away at home on Friday, January 23, 2026, surrounded by his wife and children. He was born in Waterloo on September 29, 1951, son of Harold and Marian (Andreassen) Brown. Ron graduated from East High School with the Class of 1969. He started working with Gamble Robinson in 1968. In 1972, he was hired at John Deere, working in many capacities and gaining many friends throughout the years retiring in October 2006 as a Quality Engineer. Ron married the love of his life, Cathey Kay McCarter on April 9, 1977, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by Cathey, his wife of nearly 49 years; children: Damon (Chaille) Crandall of Panora, Leah (Dylan) Barnes of Ankeny and Nicholas Brown of Waterloo; 5 grandchildren: Cruz and Cacen Crandall, Aiden and Avery Barnes, and Natalie Brown; and a sister, Bonnie Rieks, of Harpers Ferry.

Ron's family will host a Celebration of Life Visitation from 5:00-7:00 pm on Friday, February 6, 2026, at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home of Cedar Falls. In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be directed to the family for future designation. Inurnment will take place at a future date at Garden of Memories in Waterloo.

Ron loved being outdoors. He spent childhood summers at the river in Harpers Ferry with his parents and sister, where he developed a love of fishing and mushroom hunting, which he passed down to his daughter. He loved spending time in Canada hunting and fishing with his nephew and brother-in-law. He was proud of the black bear he shot with bow and arrow on one trip to Canada shortly after marrying Cathey. He spent many years hunting turkey and white tail, a passion he passed down to his sons and grandsons. He was also an avid golfer and bowler, rolling a perfect 300 game in 1999. He and Cathey had a summer home on the river in Harpers Ferry and spent many of their best times there boating, fishing, skiing and tubing with their kids and grandkids. Ron was a problem solver and loved to lend a helping hand to anyone needing assistance. His work for John Deere took him to Italy, Germany, China and Turkey but his favorite travels were cruises to various locales and winters spent in Florida with Cathey. He will be greatly missed.