In Memoriam

Rolstad Sr.,     Ronald M. 1938 - 2010

Past Commodore Ron Rolstad crossed the bar on September 14th at the age of 72. Ron was born in Minneapolis, MN, on Feb 22, 1938, and lived in South Dakota until the age of three, when his parents moved the family to the West Coast. They settled first at Seabeck, then moved to Seattle where jobs were plentiful. Ron was the oldest of eight children. Ron went to local schools and graduated from Franklin H.S. in 1956. As a boy he sold newspapers in downtown Seattle. He rode the bus to town to play ice hockey from the age of ten, becoming a "rink rat," which allowed him more access and time on the ice. He played hockey for Elks 92 back in the '50s and he continued playing hockey into his 40's when he signed up and played with the "old men's league" for a season. As a boy he was active in his Lutheran Church.

In high school he also worked at the Lakewood Boathouse during the summers. He actually lived there part time since he'd be at work from early morning till the end of the day. He was responsible for boat rentals and maintaining and repairing outboards. He also rescued boaters when they went adrift or overboard. On one occasion an article was published in the newspaper about a rescue Ron made of three UW students who capsized a sailboat and were in the water clinging to the boat.

Ron spent some time at the UW but couldn't afford to continue so he went to work in an upholstery shop. He was heavily into drag racing and a lot of his time and resources went into the sport. He made his way to AA Fuel (nitro-methane) dragsters and gained national attention, setting records while driving well known cars including the Green Dragon and Saturn V. He always said that he felt lucky to have lived in that era when you could "race out of your hip pocket," because today the ordinary guy could never afford to be competitive without a major sponsor. After drag racing, he moved out to Maple Valley and got into river boat racing on the Cedar River. This was also a highlight in his life, which he remembered fondly because of the many enduring friendships he made. As always Ron got involved. The Cedar River races and Maple Valley parades were great fun for him and he poured a lot of energy into helping with promotions and anything else needed.

After his Maple Valley days Ron moved back to Seattle. He was working for Durham Upholstery and hanging out with his Hungry Turtle pals. The adventures continued and around this time Carolyn came on the scene. A couple of years went by and Ron turned his attention to again having his own business. He left Durham and opened up Ron's Fairview Upholstery on Fairview Ave N. He charged full speed ahead and poured his energies into starting a business from scratch. A year later, Carolyn joined him in the business and in marriage. In 1983 they purchased the property on Westlake Ave N and Ron's Fairview became Ron's Lake Union Upholstery. Twenty-eight years later it was time for Ron to hang up the hog ring pliers and relax. But, of course, that wasn’t his style.

He was a member of Elks 92 for 26 years, a member of Queen City for 24 years and also enjoyed 26 years of very active & involved membership in Hidden Harbor YC, where he developed many lasting friendships.

Ron joined Queen City in January 1986 after good friends hounded him for at least two years, finally convincing him it was time to join the Club. Ron felt that his upholstery business was rolling along okay so it was time to spend more time on the water. Thus a new epic phase of life for Ron began and started an extraordinarily active membership in the club. A month later in February of that same year Ron participated in our QCYC skit in the famous Bremerton YC Skits competition! The second year of Ron’s membership he was the 4th of July Cruise Chairman and was also on the Photography Committee. The third year of Ron’s member ship he was the 4th of July Cruise Chairman as well as the Photography Committee Chair. In the third year of Ron’s membership (1989), he was Fleet Captain, Memorial Day Cruise Chair, on the Photography Committee and was awarded the Commodore’s Trophy by Commodore Lynn Montgomery.

Impressively, after only three years of Ron’s membership, P/C Paul McTaggart, Nominating Committee Chair, walked in the door of Ron’s shop and had hardly said "Hello" before Ron said “Okay I'll do it" - the beginning of his "going through the chairs," culminating in his being Commodore and Board member in 1992. Carolyn remembers that he always said it was a lot of time and hard work (and fun of course!), but one of those things you only do once. "Been there-done that" was his response thereafter, but he loved (almost) every minute of his time spent serving the Club. He loved the Club and all the friendships that developed.

Altogether, Ron’s service and contributions to the club were extraordinary. He was: Skit chair five times; a Holiday Cruise chair four times; on the photography committee four times; Fleet Captain once; member of the Board of Trustees two times; on Grounds twice; chair of Entertainment Night twice and participated in the program many years; Nominating Committee five times; Planning & Finance seven times, once as Chair; Bar Captain/Chair ten years; Ladies Night chair once; New Member Reception chair or co-chair five times; Christmas Lighted Boat Parade chair three years (for many more years he was the “VOICE” of that event); New Year’s Party chair in 2000 and Club Manager for six years. He was awarded the Commodore’s Trophy in 1989 & 2002 and named Member of the Year in 1996! He chaired many events, but especially liked cooking the omelet breakfasts on holiday weekends at the outstation in Winslow. In addition to his offices and committee activities, Ron was constantly working around the club doing anything that needed doing, whether painting, fabricating, helping volunteers at socials, etc.

Shortly after joining Queen City, predicted log racing became a challenge and a passion. Laying out the charts and drawing the lines was the most fun to him. He became an excellent predicted log racer and usually finished in the top percentiles for the years he competed. Between 1989 and 2003, records show that Ron participated in 44 contests often finishing with hardware. He won the Bryant Trophy in 2000 (IPBA Championship). He was QCYC Skipper of the Year in 2001 and was overall winner of the International Cruiser Race (ICR) in 2000 & 2002! He competed in the PCYA Barusch (west coast championship) and the NAI (nationals) in 2001. Ron also was often one of the QCYC team members in the annual Challenge Log Race with Seattle Yacht Club.

Ron and Carolyn participated in most of the club socials and almost all of the holiday weekend cruises and have countless friends in the club. They cruised often with Dean and Kathleen Lentgis, Dave and Peggy White and Carl and Stephanie Weiss. During Ron’s years as a member, he owned the Brass Tacks, a 41’ Hatteras that he refurbished, modified and improved over the years into the handsome and comfortable boat that he and Carolyn called home.

Ron’s wife Carolyn and his children Kathy (Dan), Ron Jr., Ronell, Doug, step-children Lynne, Monica, Ken, and Cameron; grandchildren Ryan, Laura, Alex, Tyler, Nick, Katy, Tim, Trisha, Tory, Nicole, Travis, Heather and Aron will always remember what a wonderful, loving husband, father and grandfather he was and will hold him close to their hearts all of their lives.

Carolyn writes: “God be with you, dear love.”

And she adds:
No words can express the heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our friends who came to the aid and support of us and our family during this difficult time. So many rallied around us and enveloped us in love and concerns that I am
overwhelmed. I don't know how I can ever thank everyone for the outpouring of love and concern that has been bestowed upon us. It is at times like this that the true meaning of the "Queen City Family" is most apparent.

On behalf of myself and our family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Carolyn Rolstad