Ronald Arthur Mueller

Ronald Arthur Mueller, 77, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, went to be with the Lord on November 27, 2022 at 6:15 am. Ron, formerly of Galesburg, Illinois, died surrounded by family at McLeod Hospice House in Florence, South Carolina.  

He was born Ronald Arthur Weimann on July 11, 1945 in Wildau, Germany, where his mother Erna Martha Weimann and her family had moved from Michigan before World War II. When Ron was 11 months old, the family returned to the United States on the transport ship USS Marine Perch and settled in Chicago. Ron’s last name was changed by adoption in 1952 after his mother married Heinz William Mueller. The family later moved to Lombard, Illinois. There Ron was a member of the Class of 1963, the first students to spend all four years at the new Glenbard East High School. His love of sports led him to the football field and track, as well as the baseball field and basketball courts. He was happy later in life to reconnect with his former coaches, the legendary Liz Astroth and Jerry Leggett.

Ron attended Whitewater College in Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Elmhurst College. He was drafted into the U.S. Army after graduation and served in Vietnam as a member of the 1st Engineer Battalion 1st Infantry Division. Much of his vast body of work as a photographer in Vietnam is now in the collections of the First Division Museum at Cantigny in Wheaton, Illinois. One of his articles appeared in Stars and Stripes in 1969. Ron also managed an Officers’ Club in Vietnam. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, and Air Medal.

Ron married Ann Marie Tracy on June 28, 1972 in Macomb, Illinois and was a proud father of two daughters, Michelle Leanne Davidson and Lindsey Marie (Drew) Berson. He is survived by his wife, daughters, son-in-law and six grandchildren, Tyler, Trey, Corinne and Jared Smith and Anneliese and Juliette Berson.

After Vietnam, Ron attended Carl Sandburg College on the GI Bill while working full-time. He managed several area businesses, including the Western Stores (later SuperAmerica) in Monmouth and Galesburg, Yeager Hardware, Jewel Home Shopping Service, and Meadow Gold Dairy. Ron also co-founded M & M Mobil with his friend, Mike Mooney, and owned rental property with his wife, Ann. Ron and Ann later relocated to Lexington, Illinois, where he owned an Archway Cookie route. Ron’s final career, while living in Heyworth, Illinois, was as a caseworker for the State of Illinois Department of Human Services in Decatur.

After retirement, Ron and Ann lived on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, before moving back to Galesburg, then to their final home together in Myrtle Beach. His family will miss having Ron with them for vacations and holidays, Chicago Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelican games, concerts, and afternoons on the Garden City Pier.

He was preceded in death by his mother, biological and adoptive fathers, grandparents, an aunt and two uncles, and one nephew. He is also survived by his aunt, Irma Weichenhain, brother, Robert Mueller, sister, Deborah Spaletto, mother-in-law, Kathryn Tracy, and several cousins, nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Ron was a member of Risen Christ Lutheran Church, Myrtle Beach, American Legion and Society of the 1st Infantry Division and a Life Member of the VFW. He often served as an usher or in leadership roles at the churches he attended.

Ron’s visitation will be Friday, December 16 from 5-7 p.m. at Hinchliff-Pearson West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services Galesburg Chapel with funeral services on Saturday, December 17 at 10 a.m. at Galesburg Covenant Church. Burial with military rites will follow in Warren County Hope Cemetery, a few miles from the Westport Subdivision where Ron and Ann raised their daughters. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com.

Memorials may be made to Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, McLeod Health Foundation, Camp CILCA or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities
4130 Northwest Blvd.
Davenport, IA 52806
https://honorflightqc.org/

McLeod Health Foundation
P.O. Box 100551
Florence, SC 29502-0551
https://www.mcleodhealth.org/foundation/

Camp CILCA
4124 Camp CILCA Road
Cantrall, IL 62625
http://www.cilca.org/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ronald Arthur Mueller, please visit our floral store.