By Dana Merryday – Special to The Chronicle
Editor’s note: Dana Merryday, a former Chronicle columnist and current Cottage Grove City Council member, wrote a series on Pupke in 2022. Following Pupke’s passing, The Chronicle invited him to submit this column.
COTTAGE GROVE – On May 16, 2025, Ronald Irving Pupke passed away at the age of 101, leaving behind a lifetime of accomplishments and joining his beloved co-conspirator, “Sim.” Together, they shared 68 years of marriage and a loving family.
The Pupkes had been residents of Cottage Grove since 1953, when Ron was recruited by Jesse Fassold, a fellow Marine and the South Lane School District superintendent, to take over as the physical education teacher at Jefferson Jr. High School. Ron and Sim met initially while enrolled in summer school at the University of Oregon, where they were both pursuing degrees in physical education for teaching. They often enjoyed going out for ice cream after class.
The Pupkes truly exemplified teamwork in every aspect of their lives. They enjoyed dancing – still able to do the fast polka at the age of 85 – traveling, attending music festivals, and making friendships. They were active members of the First Presbyterian Church and the Elks.
From a young age, Pupke cultivated a passion for math and sports, which led him to pursue a career teaching both subjects. He applied his skills while serving on school finance committees and held financial positions, including those of elder and deacon, at the Presbyterian Church.
Being fiscally conservative was part of Ron’s principled life. Few who were raised during the Depression years escaped this lesson. He applied this value in many aspects of his life while also supporting the local economy. During his time as the athletic director at Lincoln Middle School, he made it a point to purchase sports equipment from local vendors while being as frugal as possible.
As the years went by, the Pupkes found themselves teaching second and even third generations of students. Pupke welcomed calls from parents and enjoyed discussing their children with them. He made a point of ensuring that each student had what they needed to succeed, even offering rides home after practice when necessary due to parents’ work schedules.
Ron had a talent for identifying potential in future athletes and helping them develop the necessary skills for success in high school and beyond. Despite receiving offers to coach at the high school and college levels, he chose to remain at the middle school. Meanwhile, Sim decided to leave her full-time teaching position to raise their five children. During that time, she worked as a substitute teacher, an assistant librarian, and an educational assistant at Latham.
One notable sports partnership in Cottage Grove was between Pupke and Wally “Chick” Ciochetti. After Pupke moved to the area, his emphasis on fundamental skills and stamina-based training for middle school athletes complemented Ciochetti’s expertise in fine-tuning athletes at the high school level. The two became fast friends and collaborated to persuade the superintendent and school board of the importance of adding swimming to the curriculum. They both testified before the board and successfully won their support.
Together, they managed the summer swimming program, initially at Cottage Grove Lake and later at the Daugherty Pool. In the 1960s, many teachers had to find additional work during the summer to supplement their income. Despite being offered lucrative summer logging jobs, Pupke chose instead to work at the pool with Chick, believing it was more important to teach swimming to the community.
Family members enjoyed summer vacations spent visiting family friends, staying in their homes, or camping, with socializing and maintaining friendships taking precedence over motel stays.
“Coach Pupke,” as he was known to a steady stream of middle school students, was described by his student and former Mayor Gary Williams as quiet yet a very powerful presence.
“He could take a look at a student and see what their innate abilities were and guide them in a tailor-made program to bring out the student’s best,” Williams said.
Williams remembers getting in shape under Pupke. “We’d run a half or whole mile every day after calisthenics, frost, rain, it didn’t matter.”
Teachers Joyce and Jim Settlemeyer, who had the unique perspective of having seen Pupke as both students and colleagues, remember his booming voice and very organized track events, complete with his ever-present clipboard, stubby pencil, and whistle.
The voice, which was a mix of Drill Instructor and cheerleader, was extremely well-known. In the more than 50 comments on Coach Pupke’s passing notice in the CGHS Old Schoolmates Facebook page, many people referenced and acknowledged that distinctive voice. Family members recall one camping trip when their dad called them out of the lake for lunch, prompting someone from a nearby party to exclaim, “I’d know that voice anywhere, it’s Ron Pupke!”
Pupke retired as athletic director at Lincoln Middle in 1984, a school he was recruited to by Superintendent Dusenberry, even before he had hired a principal. Pupke was trusted to help design the gym and athletic facilities as the new school was being constructed in 1963.
While he never worked at CGHS, he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2011 for his many hours spent volunteering with Ciochetti, including helping to organize track meets, serving as a gymnastics judge, referee, and timekeeper, and providing overall versatile support where needed.
One of his greatest pleasures was being active in the community and running into former students who had become friends, as well as making new acquaintances. He often found himself running late because he would strike up conversations with people he met, but his family had grown accustomed to this; it was one of his greatest joys.
When asked late in life about his proudest accomplishments, he replied, “Getting my master’s degree at the University of Oregon, achieving the rank of Captain in the Marine Corps while leading my team to the USMC Track Championship (one of my team members, Bill Miller, won a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics), and summiting nearly all the major peaks in the Cascade Range.” He and Sim felt very honored to participate in reunion gatherings with former students.
One regret he likely had was that his planned 100th birthday celebration was canceled due to the 2024 ice storm. Pupke, who enjoyed visiting with students and friends, truly missed those interactions because of COVID isolation and health issues that had slowed him down.
While watching family films, I saw footage of track students training at the old Jefferson School, with the art deco Baptist church in the background. Although both landmarks, as well as many of the students from the 1950s and Coach Pupke, are now gone, the memories will remain.
To quote the late author Corrie Ten Boom, “The measure of life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”
Services will be announced at a later date.
