Ronald A. "Ron" Hawthorne

Ronald A. “Ron” Hawthorne, 85, of Central City, died Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, at Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Central City. Rev. Richard Kothe will officiate. Burial will be in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery at Worms. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church. Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is assisting the family. All CDC guidelines will be followed in regards to social distancing and face masks will be required for both the visitation and funeral. Seating will be limited for the funeral; therefore, the public is encouraged to attend the visitation. The services will be livestreamed on Peters Funeral Home Facebook page. The direct link for that page is www.facebook.com/PetersFuneralHomeSP. Ron was born on Jan. 14, 1935, at Fullerton, the son of Samuel F. and Eunice V. (Good) Hawthorne. The family lived in various Nebraska communities before returning to the Fullerton area. Ron attended Fullerton High School for two years and then graduated from Palmer High School in 1953. He then worked for Dinsdale’s Feed Lot in Palmer. In his early years Ron was known in Central Nebraska for being a top Golden Gloves boxer and later in life continued to coach many young men in the ring. Ron proudly served in the Army reserves and Nebraska National Guard from 1953 to 1958. He was united in marriage to Jeanette J. Peters on June 26, 1955, at Zion Lutheran Church in Worms. The couple were blessed with three sons: Tom, Scott and Dave. The couple farmed northwest of St. Libory and operated a Grade A Dairy. In 1969, the family moved to Central City, where Ron was employed by Bill’s Volume Sales. He and Jeanette, also opened and operated a youth center in Central City for several years. In 1973, Ron became the original founder of Central City Scale, Inc. and one of the first to make an exclusive agricultural scale business. He was a visionary, but also someone who deeply cared about his family and friends. If you were lucky enough to have met him, you know he was a man of great humor and sharp intellect. After over 40 years in business, Ron left behind a company to his sons Tom, Scott, and Dave, that only he could have built. Ron was excited to see a third generation becoming involved in the company to help carry on the family legacy. He was a longtime member of Zion Lutheran Church in Worms and later joined St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Central City. In recent years, Ron spent most of his retirement working on the family farm and traveling. Ron enjoyed playing cards and gathering with friends and family for a bite to eat. What he enjoyed most was reminiscing about times of the past. Ron was truly happy with the life he led and we are proud to have called him dad, grandpa, and great grandpa. He will be deeply missed not only by his family, but his many friends, business associates and the entire community. He is survived by his sons and their spouses, Tom and Hanna Hawthorne and Scott and Deb Hawthorne, all of Central City, and Dave Hawthorne of St. Libory; his grandchildren, Jason, Jessica, Matt (Bobbi), Annie, Jon (Brooke) and Joe; his great-grandchildren, Hayden, Hayes, Jaxon, Jameson, Raelyn, Brynlee and Nash; brother, Bob Hawthorne of Columbus; sister, Sharon Dabney of Wichita, KS; brother-in-law, Bob Cattau of Creston; sister-in-law, Velda Peters of St. Paul; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Jeanette on Jan. 23, 2020; infant grandson, Samuel Hawthorne; great-grandson, Hunter Hawthorne; brother, Richard Hawthorne; sister, Shirley Cattau; sister-in-law, Pat Hawthorne; brother-in-law, Dick Dabney; in-laws, Walter and Florence Peters; and brother-in-law, Butch Peters. The family requests, that in lieu of flowers and plants, that memorials be given to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ron’s name.