ALDEN — Ronald “Ron” Voyek, 76, passed away September 6, 2026.
Funeral arrangements remain pending with Woodley Funeral Home and Crematory in Iowa Falls, with additional service information to be announced by the family and funeral home.
Ron was born October 19, 1949, in Cresco to John and Gertrude Voyek.
He grew up in Protivin, where family and friends knew him affectionately as “Ronnie.” After graduating from Turkey Valley High School, Ron continued his education at Hawkeye Tech, studying to become an electrician.
Northern Iowa remained an important part of Ron’s life as he moved from his childhood years around Cresco and Protivin into adulthood and eventually made his home in the Alden area.
One of the most consequential moments of his life came in February 1976.
Ron met Ellen Pickering when he interviewed her for a security position through the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The meeting quickly became much more than a job interview.
After what the family described as a whirlwind romance, Ron and Ellen were married on March 27, 1976.
Together they built a family and shared nearly 50 years of marriage.
The couple became parents to two sons, Cory and Andy, and their family eventually grew to include five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Ron experienced a tremendous loss earlier this year when Ellen died May 18, 2026, at Hansen Family Hospital. Her death came only months before Ron’s passing in September.
Their story stretched from that unexpected meeting in 1976 through decades of marriage, raising their sons and watching new generations of the Voyek family arrive.
Ron’s Northern Iowa journey began in Cresco, continued through his childhood in Protivin and education at Turkey Valley and Hawkeye Tech, and eventually brought him to the Iowa Falls and Alden area where he and Ellen made their life together.
Those wishing to follow the family’s arrangements, leave a memory or read additional information may visit the official obituary for Ronald Voyek through Woodley Funeral Home and Crematory.
Ron will be remembered through the family he and Ellen built together, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who followed, and memories stretching back to the boy everyone in Protivin knew simply as Ronnie.
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