Staff report
Ronald Joseph Riegler Sr., 71, of Union, passed away peacefully on September 24 at Select Specialty Hospital in Fort Thomas surrounded by his loving family.
With his brother, Boone, he led the family business, Len Riegler Blacktop, founded by his parents, and together they helped transform the company from a small residential construction business into the thriving third-generation family business it is today, with more than 190 employees and a reputation as one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Tri-State. He embraced the values and work ethic instilled in him by his parents.
What his parents started with just two trucks and a farm tractor became an enterprise that includes two state of the art asphalt plants — one in Florence and one in Wilder — and an ever-growing regional footprint. The company is known for delivering quality, efficiency, and timely project completion for commercial, industrial and civil infrastructure projects.
Riegler was born on July 22, 1955, in Covington to the late Leonard and Mary Riegler. A lifelong Northern Kentuckian, he grew up in Erlanger alongside his siblings Lenny, Boone (Dan) and Bird (Gerry).
Aside from the general activities of childhood such as school and leisure time with friends, Ron and his brothers worked on the family farm baling hay, cutting tobacco and tending to the general farmland.
In May of 1975, Ron married his first wife, Pam, and together they welcomed their three children, RJ, Ryan and Christi. In time, Ron and Pam would also welcome six grandchildren, Cori, Becca, Alexa, Morgan, Zander and Rhett. Ron will always be remembered as a loving and devoted father and a proud, loving grandfather and PawPaw.
Perhaps one of his greatest blessings was having the opportunity to work alongside his children each day. For his children, those years working beside their father are memories they will cherish forever—not only because of what he taught them about the business, but because of the time they were fortunate enough to share with him.
He was a strong-willed man who was tough on the outside but those who knew him best understood the incredibly caring and generous heart he carried within. He believed in people, always tried to see the good in them and was the kind of person who would have your back when you needed him to be there.
For many, he was not just a friend or a mentor but also like a second father. He often counseled and mentored many members of the Blacktop team, encouraging them to believe in themselves, strive to be better, and, above all, to be a good person and a good friend.
Ron had a natural ability to help those in need. He would be known to open up his wallet and give cash to employees he knew were going through a rough patch or simply stopping by to help out a friend.
His generosity was something he inherited from his mother, Mary, and it became one of the defining characteristics of the man he came to be.
As a father, Riegler had high expectations for his kids, but those expectations always came with important life lessons and a dose of love and laughter. He was proud to see his children and grandchildren develop the same strong work ethic and high expectations that he had for himself.
He taught his children the value of hard work, how to take care of a home, be responsible, take pride in whatever they did and be the best versions of themselves. His strong work ethic, wisdom, guidance, and the ability to think things through before making a decision were qualities his family deeply admired.
Sitting still was never really Ron’s thing. Whether he was working around the farm, cleaning out the garage, tending to his garden, growing his tomatoes for his “famous” ketchup or making his bean soup for the yearly pig roast. He enjoyed cooking and appreciated a good pot roast, pork and sauerkraut, and a perfectly cooked medium rare steak with a baked potato smothered in butter and washing it down with an Absolut with a splash of Sprite.
Riegler had many activities he enjoyed. In childhood, his mother and father took the family annually to Titusville and in his adult life, He took his family on annual trips to Fort Myers Beach.
His son, Ryan, remembers his Dad waking him up early to go golfing with him before sunrise and bribing him to do so with lunch at The Hickory Pit. Ryan recalls the first place the family went upon arriving in Fort Myers was the Hickory Pit and it was the last place they visited on their way back to Kentucky. His children have many fond memories going to the Outrigger Tiki Bar before sunset and hearing the blowing of the conch shell when the sun dipped into the ocean.
He enjoyed annual golfing trips to the Phoenix area and attending the Reds and Bengals games with his closest friends and family. There were many trips to Belterra and Las Vegas to gamble and he taught everyone the infamous line “Don’t back-up, stack up!” He loved Jimmy Buffet, Zach Brown, or some good ole’ country music.
Later in life, Riegler met his second wife, Debi Williams, and together they built a life that focused heavily on both families and enjoying both quiet and loud moments. Their life together was filled with travel, good food, laughter, concerts, ball games, fishing expeditions and the never-ending coaching lessons on how to play Blackjack.
As he got older, his family saw another side of him. The once strong-willed man became more tolerant and patient while never losing the toughness and determination that had always defined him. He enjoyed his lunches with his kids and visits to the job sites to check in on the crews and projects.
Riegler, the “Gentle Giant,” was a man who deeply loved, cared fiercely, and wanted the people around him to be happy and successful, will be deeply missed.
He is preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife, Debi Riegler (nee) Petersen; his children, RJ (Nicole), Ryan (Becca) and Christi; his stepdaughters, Faith and Caitlyn Williams; his grandchildren, Cori, Becca, Alexa, Morgan, Zander and Rhett and his siblings, Len (Kathy), Dan “Boone” (Karen) and Gerry ”Bird.”
A visitation will be held on Monday, October 5th, from 4-8 p.m. at Linnemann Funeral Homes, 1940 Burlington Pike, Burlington.
On Tuesday, October 6th, there will be a Catholic Funeral Service at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church, 4042 Turkeyfoot Road in Erlanger. A reception will follow the service at The Sterling Center located on the campus next to the church.
Guests are encouraged to wear Red, Black and White in Riegler’s honor.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Angels’ Castle, 7904 Kugler Mill Road in Cincinnati.