Ron Weber, the man who built the company responsible for introducting Rapala lures to U.S. anglers died late last week, according a report in the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune. He was 85. Weber built the company that would later become Normark Rapala Group. The cause of death was not immediately known. He is surived by his wife, Mary Ann.
Weber’s death comes just 4 months after the death of Ray Ostrom, who became Weber’s business partner after Weber happened upon some Rapala baits at Ostrom’s sporting goods store in Minneapolis in the late 1950s. The two partnered to bring Rapala’s Finnish-made products to the American market for the next several decades.
To read more about Weber’s life and philanthropy, click here.