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Ronald Plies Obituary
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Ron lived a life of service and had a deep love for his family and the Lord. Born in Inglewood, California, Nov. 2, 1941, Ron's lifelong passion for trains began with his father taking him to the train yard near their home when Ron was a child. The rest is history! A master model railroader (MMR), Ron at one time was the president of the Pacific Coast Region of the National Model Railroad Association and won numerous awards for his models. He was a decades-long member and president of the Eel River Valley Model Railroaders Club and was most recently a member of the Caldwell Model Railroad Club.
An Eagle Scout, Ron loved the outdoors and spent summers working at the Ahwahnee Lodge and hiking in Yosemite National Park.
In 1965, while a student at Pasadena Nazarene College, Ron met Carol Wilkerson, the woman he would later jokingly refer to as his first wife. His sense of humor was legendary.
Ron graduated from Pasadena Nazarene College and received his master's degree from San Francisco University. Of all his professions, including probation officer, tour bus driver, and insurance agency owner and broker, he was happiest being a youth pastor. Ron's time as a youth pastor to several churches in California and especially the Puyallup Church of the Nazarene in Puyallup, Washington, created lifelong relationships that were incredibly meaningful to Ron and Carol.
He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 59 years, Carol, children Angela Klein, Edward Plies (Laurie), Douglas Plies (Meghan), grandchildren Hailey, Ian, Abbie, Benton, Adelynn, Annika and Emmet, along with numerous other family and friends.
God has him in His arms, but Carol has him forever in her heart.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 7th at 2 p.m. at College Church of the Nazarene 504 E Dewey Ave in Nampa, Idaho. All are welcome to attend.
A link to the service can be streamed at: https://youtube.com/live/69T8i0cXZTE
The family would like to especially thank the compassionate staff at St. Luke's in Boise, Summers Funeral Home and the Dry Creek Cemetery for their kindness, care and support.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
3 Entries
Sunday Haas
June 9, 2025
I just heard the news about dear, sweet Rons transition into glory. I'm so going to miss his infectious smile and generous spirit.
Sending love and peace to his steadfast and loving wife Carol.
If you need anything.....
Sunday Haas
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Mary Moore-Campagna
June 9, 2025
Dear Carol,
Gus and I were so sorry to hear of Ron's passing. We both have many great memories of the years he was active in NMRA - from the time Gus first persuaded him to be the Clinics Chair for the 1999 PCR convention in Ukiah (Gus assured him he could do the job from up in Fortuna perfectly well), all the way through talking him into following Gus as the director for the Redwood Empire Division, and ultimately convincing him he would be a good president of NMRA. (I know you were happy when he finally ran out of positions to be talked into taking!)
It was always a pleasure to see Ron when he was in the Bay Area. Whenever he would stay at Steve and Carol Skold's house, they usually managed to find a way to have some sort of social gathering so we could see him. And, of course, we still remember the weekend meet he put together with the dinner in Ferndale and the breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse! When he was awarded his MMR, he was #409; and he used to joke that it must mean he was "Mr. Clean". (As was mentioned during the memorial, his sense of humor was definitely legendary.) And then after you'd moved to Idaho, we were grateful to be able to see you again and spend some time at your home when we stopped on our way back east to Nova Scotia. We were always delighted to hear the latest news about life in the new place (and especially all the latest news about the various grandchildren). --And Gus still remembers when he would stay with you up in Fortuna, and how you made those delicious biscuits with homemade blackberry jam!
Please accept our sympathies and deepest condolences to you and all the Plies clan (especially Angela, Edward, Douglas and their families). We will always remember Ron and how, although we occasionally disagreed on some things, we always recognized and respected how he was consistently true to his principles. We are very grateful to have known you both.
With all our best wishes,
Mary (Moore-Campagna) and Gus (Campagna)
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