Ronald Joseph Blaquiere, 76, died on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, at his mountain home outside of Monarch, Montana, after battling Parkinson’s for 10 years. Ron was born on November 21, 1946, to Dave Blaquiere and Ilah “Arlene” Dodge Blaquiere. He was the middle of three sons and was raised in Harlowton, Montana, graduating from high school there in 1966.
He married Carol Reynolds in June of 1967, and they had two children, Brandi and Cody, with whom he shared his birthday. They divorced in 1985. He married Jay Ober the summer of 1986, and they divorced soon after. In 1988, he met his soul mate Laura Lyons, and on July 7, 1992, they married, adding two daughters, Heather and Heidi to his family.
In 1967, he accepted an apprenticeship for the Milwaukee Railroad, and he and Carol moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 4 years. When the apprenticeship was over, they moved back to Harlowton where he worked for the Milwaukee Railroad until they closed. In May of 1973, he and his dad opened a part time business together, B n B Cycle Shop, fixing motorcycles. He worked at the Martinsdale Lumber Mill for a couple of years until 1980, when he was hired with Burlington Northern in Livingston, Montana. In 1983, he was transferred to the Alliance, Nebraska Diesel Shop. He worked there until 1995, when he was able to transfer to Great Falls, Montana, bringing him back to his home state. In 2007, he retired from BNSF after 41 years of service, not ever using one sick day during his entire career.
Ron is survived by his wife, Laura Blaquiere of Monarch; two brothers, Dave (Wilma) Blaquiere of Great Falls and Bill (Cheryl) Blaquiere of Billings; three children, Brandi (Tim) Reinhardt and Heather (Robert Runstrom) Mittan of Great Falls, and Heidi Budd of Alliance, Nebraska; 17 grandchildren, Tia Kemper, Trevor Malewski, Sara Mittan, Elijah Budd, Dylan Blaquiere, Katie Blaquiere, Morgan Blaquiere, Logan Mittan, Jason Blaquiere, Joey Blaquiere, Tyler Blaquiere, Bridger Blaquiere, Jaxon Reinhardt, Uriah Reinhardt, Keegan Reinhardt, Kaylene Stewart, and Chris Stewart; very special niece, Lanie Paizdwe; 29 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and many wonderful friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dave and Arlene; son, Cody Ron; and son-in-law Junior Budd.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the O'Connor Funeral Home website.
