Ronald Latson Maynard

Ronald Latson Maynard was born on June 26, 1944, in Ft. Worth, Texas, the fourth child of Herman and Mary Lavelle Faulkner Ponder. He passed away surrounded by his family April 14^th, 2024.   His father was serving at the time of his birth in the U. S. Marine Corp in the Philippines, fighting in WWII.  When Ron was a year old, his parents divorced, and his mother married E. O. Maynard, a loving stepfather whose name Ron and his sisters later took as their own.   The family lived in Virginia, Texas, California, and Oklahoma where “Maynard” was stationed during tours of duty in the U.S. Air Force.  Ron was baptized into Christ at the Ames church of Christ in 1961.  He graduated from Enid High School in 1962 and married Anna Louise Cooper at Ames, OK in 1963

Ron worked as a meat cutter, commercial gardener, and owner/operator of the Sears Catalog Store in Alva, OK, before entering the ministry.  He graduated from Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota at Mankato and his Doctor of Ministry from Theological University of America.  He served churches of Christ in Tulsa, OK (Crosstown); Mankato, MN; Owatonna, MN; and Lakeville, MN (South Twin Cities).  He served these churches as pulpit, benevolence, bus, and evangelism minister and as an elder and deacon.  In 1997 he began work with the Fishers of Men ministry which took him to 18 states and four foreign countries where he taught over 3,000 students how to study the Bible with others.  Ron served as a police chaplain for the Mankato and Lakeville Police Department, working in Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Murrah Building in 1995.   He served as a board member, teacher, and director for Flaming Pine Youth Camp in northern Minnesota, as a board member for the Hands of Compassion Ministry in Rochester, MN, and as an editor for the Minnesota Milestones.  Ron was parent educator for the Early Childhood program in the Mankato schools and worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota at Mankato.

Ron’s greatest joy in life was as the father of his children, Paul, Mark and Tammy and as the grandfather of nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.  Ron and Louise celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2023.

Parkinson’s Disease and macular degeneration eventually forced his retirement from teaching and preaching, but he waged a valiant battle against them and maintained the optimism, faith, generosity, and gratitude that were characteristic of his entire life.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Linda Kuykendall and Barbara Barnett. 

Ron is survived by his wife Anna Louise, his children Paul (Robin) Maynard, Mark (Andrea) Maynard, and Tammy Biehn; his grandchildren Allie (Charlie) Brown, Matthew and Jacob Maynard, John Mark, Luke (Emilie) and Isaac Maynard, and Rickey, Tanner, and Nichole (Chad Krosch) Biehn, and great grandchildren Oliver and Serenity Krosch and Adalynn Maynard.   Other survivors include sisters Linda Weldon, Barbara (John) Wagner, and Marjorie (Pat) Haines along with a host of nieces and nephews.

Memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Mankato Church of Christ with visitation one hour prior.  Graveside service will be held at the Ames Cemetery at 11:00 am, Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Memorials preferred to Fishers of Men, P.O. Box 363, Coldwater, MS 38618.