Ronald Allen Klug Obituary
September 18, 1952 – December 29, 2025
Ronald Allen Klug, 73, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on December 29, 2025 at his home in South Haven, Michigan.
Family and friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2026 at Filbrandt Chapel, 1076 S. Bailey Avenue, South Haven, MI or 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church at 718 Arbor Court, South Haven, MI.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, officiated by Pastor Stephen Daley.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church in South Haven or the Melanoma Research Foundation. Those wishing to send a condolence may do so using the guestbook at www.starksfamilyfh.com.
Ron was born at Memorial Hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan to Richard and Joyce (Young) Klug on September 18, 1952. He attended Mount Pleasant School while helping out on the family farm in Sodus harvesting strawberries, tomatoes, and grapes. He graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1970 followed by Kalamazoo College earning a degree in chemistry in 1974. Following graduation, he started his career at the Northwest Indiana Criminology and Toxicology Laboratory in Gary, Indiana. After moving to South Haven to join Wycoff Chemical Company, he stayed in the same lab while outlasting Wycoff, Catalytica, DSM Pharmaceutical, and finally retiring from Albemarle in 2018.
He was a servant of the Lord throughout his life in churches within Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod primarily of St Paul’s, Sodus; Our Shepherd, Crown Point, IN; and St Paul, South Haven.
Ron and JoAnn Gerencser Froehlich married on February 12, 1977 in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church by Pastor Henry Peter. The first nine years of marriage were spent in Valparaiso, IN, before moving to South Haven, MI. They enjoyed over 48 years of adventures together, raising four children. Countless hours were spent at sporting events, band concerts, horse shows, and driving to and from each event. Maintaining home, store, and apartment house consumed the remainder of his free time.
Ron was a lifelong baseball fan, always rooting for the Orioles – good years and bad. He started playing sandlot ball in country grade schools. Later in life, he played in adult softball leagues and for the vintage base ball team, Douglas Dutchers. He also relaunched the Barkpeelers vintage base ball club in South Haven with his close friend, Rick Olsen.
In retirement, his analytical skillset was used to research and find other 1970 BHHS classmates and teachers. In this way, he prepared for their 50th and 55th class reunions which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Ron is survived by his wife, JoAnn of South Haven; children Suzannah (Alex) Deneau of Benton Harbor; Lillie (Vinod) Ponnusamy of Seattle, WA; John (Tristan) Klug of Fairbanks, AK; and Alexandra (Sergio) Ramos Klug of Coloma, MI; nine grandchildren, Carolyn Deneau, Vincent Deneau, Jordi Ponnusamy, Carson Deneau, Petra Ponnusamy, Wilder Klug, Santiago Ramos Klug, Flora Klug, and Diego Ramos Klug; mother, Joyce Klug of St. Joseph, MI; brother, Rick (Rachel) Klug of St. Joseph, MI; sisters Stella Strasser of Styer, Austria and Cynthia (Ron) Kucharzyk of Stevensville, MI; brothers-in-law John (Linda) Gerencser and Steven (Elaine) Gerencser; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Klug, sister-in-law Elaine Gerencser Case, in-laws, Bill and Pat Gerencser, and Mickey Gerencser, his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Posted On: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 4:42 AM
