Ronald William Bolduan, age 83, of New Ulm passed away on August 8th, 2026 at Oak Hills Living Center, peacefully, and surrounded by loved ones.

Memorial service will be 11:00 am on Friday August 28th, 2026 at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home – SOUTH Chapel. Burial will take place in the New Ulm City Cemetery – Soldiers Rest Section with Military Honors provide by the New Ulm Area Comrades of Valor Honor Guard.

Visitation will be from 4:00 – 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 27th, 2026 at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home – SOUTH Chapel and will continue one hour prior to the service on Friday.

The family requests everyone wear shirts that are funny, sarcastic, or relate to nature, the US Navy, Goosetown, state parks, or anything that reminds you of Ron.

Ron was born on July 2nd, 1943 to Lester Bolduan and Hattie (Clyne) Bolduan. Ron grew up in New Ulm and graduated from NUHS in 1961. Immediately following high school he decided to join the U.S. Navy, which turned out to be one of his proudest accomplishments. Ron reported for duty aboard the USS Enterprise in 1961, but his most memorable deployment was in 1965 when he joined the "Round the World Cruise". He was able to experience much of the world on one of the first of three nuclear powered warships to engage in combat. After his five years of service Ron wasted no time starting his family. He and his beloved wife, Linda (Miller) Bolduan, married November 5th, 1966 before welcoming their three children: Lorilee, Leslie, and Eric.

Ron is survived by his 3 children; Lori (Chad) Wengert, Leslie Parker, and Eric (Audra) Bolduan, 9 grandchildren; Jesse, Jared, Amber, Ashley, Brandon, Remington, Ethan, Jenna, and Ayden, and 6 great-grandchildren; Alec, Haylie, Adam, Macy, Ripley, and Kipp, nieces; Debbie Sellner, and Darcy Rudell, sisters-in-law Mary Ann Miller and Cleo Bolduan, and many more beloved in-laws.

He was preceded in death by his wife; Linda Bolduan, parents; Lester and Hattie, brother; Glenn Bolduan, sister; Lavonne "Lonnie" Rudell, nephew; Bob Rudell, and nephew-in-law; Robert "Bob" Miller.

Ron's first job was with Sherwood Auto Parts, then McCleary. However he really found himself at home at General Trading where he stayed for the next 26 years. During his retirement years, you could often find him working part-time in the photo department at Cashwise. Ron always enjoyed being around people, and loved making everyone laugh with his always appropriate sense of humor. But when he found his passion for nature and photography, his happy place was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a camera. That passion led him to dedicating many years to educating the community on how we can appreciate and preserve the hidden beauty that surrounds us. He even became a board member of the MN River Valley Scenic Byway to expand his dedication to the cause. Ron spent many years presenting his award-winning photographs and artifacts at many different schools throughout the state, and in our local library, until becoming the Curator at the Riverside Environmental Learning Center in 2009. This old schoolhouse became the perfect showcase for Ron to grow his collection and share his knowledge with an even wider audience, which also led to the creation of the River Ranger Program. In 2026 Ron was humbly honored to be inducted into the ISD 88 Foundation's Hall of Fame for his continuous dedication to educating the community. Ron accomplished many amazing things throughout his life, but the inspiration he instilled into so many youth to appreciate our environment and wildlife will carry on for generations to come. Including his daughter Lori, who will be devoting her time to keeping his dream alive.