Ronald Duane "Ron-D-View" Pfeffer

Ron D View was born on March 18th 1940 to John and Lucille Pfeffer and passed on December 15th, 2022. He was 82 years old.

Ron D View was born on a small dairy farm in Bertha, Minnesota. He was the second of 5 surviving children. As a 6-year-old, his job was to walk in a furrow leading draft horses while his father plowed. Graduating from a one room school, he then went to “City School” where he graduated in 1958. There was no money for college, but with hard work and a football scholarship Ron D View was able to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. At Concordia he was recruited to the wrestling team by the coach, another farm boy from Bertha. This had a long lasting effect on his life. Ron D View was no stranger to hard work, he earned a varsity letter in both sports all four years. In the summer of his junior year he married Kathryn Cornell, also from Bertha. He graduated in 1962 with a teaching degree in Health and Physical Education and took a job in Herman, Minnesota teaching and coaching football and wrestling. His son Peter was born here. After working three years in Herman he went to Missoula, Montana to pursue a Masters Degree in Health and Physical Education. He coached, taught and successfully defended his thesis on athletes and weight training. Ron D View graduated from the University of Montana in 1967 and took a job teaching and coaching at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He coached football and wrestling at the college level. He developed the wrestling program producing the college’s first All-American competitor and eventually several conference championship teams. His son Michael was born during this time. Again being no stranger to hard work, he used his summers to pour concrete during the construction of Interstate 494 to support his family. In 1970 Ron D View moved his family to Alexandria, Minnesota. Back in the countryside he rediscovered his love for horses and hunting. He raised, broke and boarded Quarter Horses and Redbone coon dogs. Teaching had lost its shine, and in 1976 Ron D View started Garfield Truss Systems with his friend Tom Honkomp. They built complex residential and agricultural roof rafters for delivery throughout central Minnesota.

In 1981, while on a guided elk hunting trip in the Superstitions Mountains in Arizona, Ron D View heard the call of the wild. He knew that the mountains were waiting for him and decided that outfitting was the way to combine his love of hunting, horses and the outdoors. He bought the permits from his guide and formed the Ron D View Ranch and Outfitting Company. The Arizona permits also included hunting permits in Unit 74 above Purgatory and summer pack trips into the Weminuche Wilderness. After several seasons he cut loose the Arizona branch and concentrated on Colorado, operating out of Durango but making Ignacio his home. In addition to hunting he developed chuck wagon trips into Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly. He worked hard to fill the calendar with hunters and guests, eventually hosting college interns who wanted to learn his craft and Amish boys that helped work the land and make repairs on his well-used tack and gear. Ron D View was the rare person who was able to do what he loved and make a living at it. The consummate horseman, having experience from farming to driving, fox hunting to pack tripping, he grew to love mules and in the end traded his horse herd for a string of mules that was the envy of many. He owned his own jack, raised, broke and trained excellent riding and driving mules.

Ron D View loved nothing more than to ride the high country on a good mule and then hook them up to some antique farm machinery. He also loved to make weekend ice cream runs into Ignacio hooked up to his favorite wagon.

In 1998, he met his match. The partner with whom he would spend the rest of his days, Ms. Carrie. He would often say that Matt Dillion had his Miss Kitty and he had his Ms. Carrie. Together they worked side by side doing what they both loved; horses/mules, camping and the high country. She cared for him right up until the end, allowing him to age gracefully in his own home. She was with him when the cowboy hung up his earthly spurs and traded them for wings.

Ron D View is survived by his loving partner, Carrie Jenkinson, his sons, Pete and Mike Pfeffer, his brothers, James and Gerald Pfeffer, his sister Deanne Messer and 5 grandchildren.

There will be a graveside service at the Oxford Cemetery at 1 PM on December 30th, 2022 with a reception to follow at the Oxford Grange.