Remembering Ron “Rubber” Roalsen

Thursday April 01, 2010

Ronald Lee Roalsen was born on Aug 14th, 1944 in McMinnville, Oregon. He died at his home on Feb 2nd 2010 after he battled colon cancer.

He grew up in the small logging & farming community of Grand Ronde, Oregon. Living with his mother & extended family, Ron learned early the value of hard work, and that honesty was not just a virtue but a means that shaped his life. The family moved to NE Portland where Ron graduated from Parkrose HS in 1962. He worked at the family gas station with his father Ray Roalsen who had a big influence in Ron’s life & helped him discover his mechanical aptitude & love of people & fast cars.

Ron met & married his best friend Carol Hutchinson after she needed help raising her car back to factory ride height, after her previous boyfriend had lowered it a bit too much…

In 1969 they started a family, and Ron went to work for his father-in-law selling industrial components & conveyor belt. This is where Ron’s professional sales career was born.

Ron’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own business, Rubber & Plastics Inc., where he continued to work & develop his passion for the conveyor belt industry & the people in this small community. As business grew, Ron continued his pursuit of developing relationships and providing a positive influence on all those who worked with him. It wasn’t necessarily the products, but the people that Ron was passionate about. However, his knowledge & desire to solve problems led many people around the country to call him for his problem solving skills & advice.

Outside of work, Ron loved to read a good western or sci-fi novel. He had a passion for cooking & enjoyed weight lifting, Japanese gardens, & spending time at the Oregon Coast. Ron was more than a father, husband, and employer…he was one who loved people & would do anything to help someone in need. He was a mentor, and had a strong influence in the lives of those lucky enough to have called him a friend. He was truly a unique individual with amazing wit & a sense of humor that allowed him to talk with anyone; a self-made man who was more intelligent than most PhD professors, he took pride not in the things that he had, but rather in the relationships that he had built.

Ron is survived by his wife Carol, sons Edward and Rodney, daughter-in-law Julie, father Ray, brother Bob, sister-in-law Laurie, sisters Marta and Molly, and his two grandsons Cole and River.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made payable to the Ron Roalsen Memorial Fund, and sent directly to Rubber & Plastics, 7401 NE 47th Ave, Vancouver WA, 98661, or at any Key Bank branch location.

POSTED BY RUBBER AND PLASTICS AT 10:32AM