Celebrating Lives & Legacies

Ronald K. Kjos, M.D. - March 30, 2024

June 4, 1932

Ronald Keith Kjos died on March 30, 2024, in Riverside, CA, at the age of 91. A kindhearted father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, he will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Born on June 4, 1932, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Ron was the oldest child of Martin Adrian Kjos and Evelyn Marie Kjos. Fourteen years after his birth, Ron — or Ronnie as he was called then — was followed by sister Marie “Cookie”, and later, brothers John and Phil. Growing up in Rushford, Minnesota, staying sometimes with his parents and other times with his grandparents, he spent much of his childhood on the Kjos family farm outside the town, where his Uncle Arvid and Aunt Selma lived. Some of the fondest memories of his life would take place at that homestead, where he enjoyed Sunday dinners, learned how to drive, played with the feral cats, did lots of farm chores, and talked about life and the future with his uncle. It was because of those introspective talks that he decided he would pursue a career in medicine.

A gifted student who was well liked by his peers, Ron graduated valedictorian from Rushford High School in 1950. From there, he went on to study at the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, and Tufts University in Boston, from which he graduated with his Doctor of Medicine in 1960. After graduation, Ron moved to Riverside, California, and completed a one-year internship followed by one year of family practice. After that, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut for an Anesthesiology residency under Stevens J. Martin, M.D., a well-known and highly respected Anesthesiologist in the field of Anesthesia. Following his Anesthesia residency, Ron moved to Fridley, Minnesota, and set up the Anesthesia Department at Mercy Hospital in Anoka, Minnesota. Ron ultimately would return to Riverside with his family and join the Anesthesia Medical Group.

In 1959, when Ron was an extern completing his M.D. training at Malden Hospital, he was invited to attend an Easter dinner hosted by a physician from the hospital. In addition to Ron, a student nurse was also invited to the Easter dinner but couldn’t make it. To help her nursing student friend out, Barbara Lemaire volunteered to go in her place. Three months later, Ron and Barbara were married. They had five daughters together: Karen, Kristine, Kathy, Kimberley, and Karla. After 20 years of marriage, Ron and Barbara made the tough mutual decision to go their separate ways but remained committed to the wellbeing of their family unit. As a dad, Ron was dependable, generous, disciplined, and present. He made his family a priority, always wanting what was best for them and working his hardest to provide for their needs. When he made a promise, he came through. When he made a commitment, he showed up. Ron’s greatest goal as a father was to raise happy, healthy girls with a strong work ethic and a solid education, so that when they grew up, they would be able to support themselves.

Ron’s daughters will remember their dad for his keen perception, good judgment, and consistent steadiness — “Don’t get overwhelmed with the task at hand; just take the next logical step” — and also for his sense of family. They’ll remember him for his gentle firmness. Once, after catching Kris cookie-handed as she tried, at Karen’s instigation, to sneak a couple of nighttime treats past her parents’ bedroom to their own, Ron let it go, but reminded the girls the next morning that bedtime meant bedtime — not cookie time. His daughters will also remember him for the way he savored his experiences, and said yes to being a part of theirs. Ron chaperoned Kathy’s elementary class field trip to a ranch in Garner Valley — where a snake slithered up into his car engine and the camp manager had to remove it. He often played cards with Karla and one time attended her elementary school carnival — where he met her friend and his colleague’s son, a future NBA player. When Karen first learned how to walk, and Barbara, so excited, brought her to the hospital where Ron was working, he waited on one end of the hallway as Karen waddled her way to him from the other. And when Kim, working to earn her Girl Scout sewing badge, made a red-and-white gingham skirt with a matching bandana, Ron, proudly donning the gingham bandana, square-danced with Kim, in her gingham skirt, at the troop’s father-daughter hoedown.

Ron loved being both a doctor and a guardian, and it was at the intersection of the two roles that he shined most. If friends or family had health-related concerns, he was the first to explain medically what was happening, talk them through their procedure, or tend to their recovery. He found great purpose in taking care of others. In 1992, after 25 years of administering Anesthesia at Riverside Community Hospital, Ron retired. In his retirement, he traveled widely, frequently accompanying his high-school friend who became a choral director, Ronnie Konetchy, and his wife Andrea, on chorus trips around the world. In this way, Ron was able to see China, Ireland, England, Austria, Liechtenstein, Wales, Germany, and, most meaningful to him because of his own heritage, Norway.

Ron enjoyed taking pictures, driving, trying new restaurants, and telling bad jokes in the operating room — jokes so bad he would never share them with his daughters. He was an avid fan of the Anaheim Angels baseball and UCLA Bruins football teams. He was a music aficionado, listening to classical, dixieland, big band, and disco, and also playing the baritone horn in high school and during his three years in the University of Minnesota’s ROTC band. He cooked scrambled eggs with mushrooms on Sunday mornings. He reminisced about his life on the farm. His favorite memories were with his family — summer vacations spent with his girls in Newport Beach; a 2005 family reunion in Ventura where he met new-to-him Kjos kin from La Jolla; visits to Minnesota to reconvene with relatives, return to the family farm, and go to the Rushford Days festival; along with many Thanksgivings in San Francisco with Barbara, her husband Ted, and the whole family.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents Martin Adrian Kjos and Evelyn Marie Kjos (née Severud), and his nephew Andrew Kjos.

He is survived by his daughters Karen Kjos (Greg) Racicot of Ventura, Kristine Kjos Lastition of Redondo Beach, Kathy Kjos (Scott) Miller of Menlo Park, Kimberley Kjos (Aaron) Harris of Truckee, and Karla Kjos of San Francisco; his grandchildren Katie Lastition of Redondo Beach, Sarah Lastition of Denver, Caedan Miller of St. Paul, Jasmine Harris of Reno, August Sorensen of Riverside, and Annika Sorensen (Eric) Green of Idaho Falls; his great grandson, Xander Green of Idaho Falls, former wife Barbara Lemaire; and his siblings Marie “Cookie” Kjos Lee, John (Susan) Kjos, and Phil Kjos.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Aveeva Hospice and Blissful Canyon Homecare Century Ave for the excellent care they provided to “Dr. Ron” over the last year and a half.

A memorial service will be held at Arlington Mortuary in Riverside on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a reception at the Mission Inn in Riverside.

In his estate, Ron included gifts to the University of North Dakota and Tufts University, crediting the two schools where he studied medicine for his professional success. In 2019, recognizing that “high schools are the place where everything starts,” he also created the Rushford-peterson High School Scholarship Fund to aid graduating seniors of his alma mater. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Ron’s memory may follow in his footsteps and make a donation to Rushford High School (R-P Schools, P.O. Box 627, Rushford, MN 55971) or an educational institution of their choice.

“I wanted to be happy,” Ron had said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just wanted to be happy.” And it was Ron’s wish that he could help others find their happiness, too.