A funeral service for Ron Niebruegge, age 90, of Spirit Lake, was held Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery. Memorials given will be used to honor Ron and will be determined by the family at a later date.
Ronald Niebruegge, along with his identical twin, was born February 4, 1935, in Hull, Iowa, to Rev. Robert and Anna Niebruegge. He graduated from high school in Willow Lake, South Dakota.
Ron proudly served his country in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Private First Class. He entered service in 1957 and was honorably discharged in 1959.
On May 10, 1963, Ron was married to Marie Harberts in Sibley, Iowa. Ron worked many years for Coca-Cola and recently worked part time for Rides, where he enjoyed connecting with people. In 2013, Ron was honored to receive the RIDES driver of the year award. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, serving as both Deacon and Elder.
Ron and his wife, Marie, enjoyed watching their children participate in numerous high school activities. After they graduated, Ron would still volunteer his time at wrestling tournaments and follow the Spirit Lake football team. His favorite thing to do was see if he could beat social media on telling his kids who won.
When his family expanded, Ron and Marie enjoyed many trips to Kentucky or Nebraska to visit their grandchildren and attend their activities. Ron and Marie were able to watch their grandson graduate from Basic Training at Fort Benning in Georgia, which was a dream of Ron’s to visit the infantry museum at Fort Benning. As the grandchildren grew, Ron and Marie enjoyed seeing their great-grandchildren grow, again many trips to Kentucky, Iowa City and Sioux City to visit them. Ron and Marie had an amazing friend group. They loved to get together and have a mean game of cards, go out for dinner or take an occasional trip.
Ron passed away November 11, 2025, at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake at ninety years of age. Family was everything to Ron and they will miss him daily.
Ron is survived by his wife, Marie Niebruegge, of Spirit Lake; son, Brent (Cheryl) Niebruegge of Lincoln, Nebraska; daughter, Amy Wetzel of Lincoln, Nebraska; grandsons, Eric Niebruegge of Louisville, KY, Ryan Niebruegge of Louisville, KY, Jordan (Alyssa) Wetzel of North Liberty, IA, Peyton (Hannah) Wetzel of Clovis, New Mexico and Terry (Zulema) Jones of South Sioux City, NE; granddaughter, Sherry Jones of Louisville, KY; fifteen great-grandchildren and ten great-great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Ethel Wibben and Sharon Schultz; many nieces, nephews and their families.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Anna Niebruegge; brother, Leander Niebruegge and twin brother, Robert Niebruegge; sister and brother-in-law, Leota and Lewis Treinen; nephew, Kevin Niebruegge; in-laws, Harm and Marie Harberts; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Loren and Sylvia Harberts and Orval and Margaret Harberts; sister-in-law, Marlys Jurrens; brothers-in-law, Marvin Schultz and Marlyn Wibben.
Arrangements were under the care of Turner Jenness Funeral Home.
Ron Niebruegge
