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Ronald Prange

September 23, 2020
Portage, MI

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Prange, Ronald Neil 11/29/1950 - 9/23/2020 Portage Ron Prange left his worldly life on September 23, 2020 in the ICU at Bronson Hospital, relieved to end a four-year struggle with a series of escalating complications. He was 69, just 2 months shy of his 70th birthday. Ron was born in Fort Wayne, IN on November 29, 1950, the only child to Quentin and Margie (Wiggins) Prange. He grew up in Fort Wayne, attended South Side High School and chose Western Michigan University to pursue a baseball career. Instead, Ron finished his undergrad and grad school at WMU with an MBA in Bio-Chem. It was fortuitous that the Upjohn Company was hiring animal caretakers and Ron was able to link up with an Upjohn PHD in Diabetes to sponsor his MBA thesis. That opportunity began a 27-year career at the Upjohn Company (later Pharmacia), working in the Diabetes/ Atherosclerosis lab, then as a Project Manager in Drug Development. An MBA in Business at WMU later afforded Ron an opportunity to join Marketing Business Development that eventually moved him into Strategic Planning and a position on the Corporate Staff. It was at Upjohn that he met his future wife Mary. After a year and a half courtship, they married in 1978 and soon started a family. Together Ron and Mary nurtured their son Vince and daughter Angie's interest into all kinds of sports. Surprisingly, both chose the game of soccer as their favorite. Ron coached and managed both Vince and Angie's teams in the MISLE and Portage Soccer Leagues from the late 1980s through the 1990s. In 1993 he managed their TKO teams for another 5 years, while also coaching and managing other U-10, U-11, U-12 and U-13 Portage Soccer teams. So much was Ron involved with soccer that he became a Registered MHSAA Official Soccer in 1995 and refereed for eleven years. Ron's team managing didn't stop there. In addition to soccer there was hockey. Vince loved the Edmonton Oilers during their prime hockey years, so Ron started him in KOHA's Pee Wee and Midget Hockey Leagues and of course, took up the managing duties. Those duties lasted until Vince moved to PCHS Hockey. Ron and Mary had 42 wonderful years together raising Vince and Angie and later felt so proud participating in their marriages. With the addition of Angie's husband Saul and Vince's wife Ali, his children grew to four and he loved all of them dearly. Ron will be remembered by family, friends and neighbors for his love of family, generous spirit, kind-heartedness, willingness to help others and of course his humorous witty comments. Ron leaves behind his wife Mary, son Vincent (Ali) Prange, daughter Angie Pineda (Saul), 8-month old granddaughter Enya Pineda, and many cousins and their families. Due to the COVID restrictions, an outdoor family visitation will take place this Tuesday, September 29, at Lakeview Park, 9345 Portage Rd, Portage, MI beginning at 3:00 followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 6:00. Please wear a mask! If this time frame presents difficulty, please feel free to drop by the Prange residence later in the week. Memorials may be directed to Cherry Creek Community Church, the Portage Soccer Club, both of Portage, MI or the Kalamazoo Humane Society of Kalamazoo, MI. Please visit Ron's personalized online guestbook at https://www.langelands.com