Robert Ringstrom was more than a police officer: He was an avid bicyclist, a music fan and overall a great presence, his daughter Krista Ringstrom Schmitz said Wednesday.
Robert Ringstrom, former chief of police in Sartell, was killed in a collision with a semitrailer truck on June 14, 2024 in St. Joseph. He was 74 years old. (Courtesy of Sartell Police Department)
Ringstrom, former chief of police in Sartell, was killed in a collision with a semitrailer truck on Friday evening in St. Joseph. He was 74 years old.
Ringstrom Schmitz said her dad was present for his family despite working nights, whether he was making spaghetti and meatballs or a terrible soup or listening to Paul Simon and playing drums.
“He’s there for whoever and whatever storm they’re going through,” said Ringstrom Schmitz, who lives in Sartell. “He is just a great presence, he’s super funny, he has so much humor and things up his sleeve and noises he makes, and he loves music. He had records upon records of every type of music.”
Ringstrom Schmitz said her dad would bike more than 100 miles to his cabin on Lake Alexander in Morrison County, along with other officers from the Hutchinson Police Department.
“Biking was a very important thing for him; I think it was a stress reliever and the nature of what he has gone through or is going through as a police officer, it was just, at that time, very important to him to have that stress reliever,” she said.
After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years ago, his bicycle started to collect dust. It wasn’t until recently that he began to use it again, Ringstrom Schmitz said.
“The day of the accident, (he) put the new seat one, started just becoming interested in it again, because his interest came and went, I would say within the last five years, but the love of biking has always been there,” she said.
Robert Ringstrom was born on May 18, 1950, in Devils Lake, N.D. He later moved to Jamestown, N.D., where he graduated high school.
After years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps with stints in Vietnam, Turkey and Greece, Ringstrom returned to the U.S. and earned a degree in law enforcement, according to his obituary.
His law enforcement career started in Hutchinson, where he served as a police officer for 12 years and later completed a master’s degree in criminal justice at St. Cloud State University.
In 1990, Ringstrom moved to Sartell to join the police department and retired as the chief of police in 2004.
The Sartell Police Department said Ringstrom created officer assignments inside Sartell schools and led the department through an era when professional standards were enhanced, according to a social media post.
Ringstrom Schmitz said her father also served as a resource for those who wanted to become law enforcement officers, including Sartell police Capt. Kelly Mader.
“He just helped a lot of people through really tough times. … He helped people weather their storms,” Ringstrom Schmitz said.
Since the news of his death, Ringstrom Schmitz said the Sartell Police Department has delivered an outpouring of support. Officers will be pallbearers during his funeral on Friday, Ringstrom Schmitz said.
“It’s just amazing to see and hear about everybody impacted,” she said. “That’s so humbling to me, just to hear how impactful he was to so many people.”
Along with support from the police department, Ringstrom Schmitz said the community has rallied behind the family.
“The people that are coming over to my mom’s house, or contacting us, or just being around, it’s amazing,” she said. “Or texting or emailing or calling or whatever just is so amazing … I just feel the love.”
In addition to Ringstrom Schmitz, Ringstrom is survived by his wife, Barbara of St. Joseph; daughters Erika Jordan of Baton Rouge, La., and Britt Ringstrom of Victoria; four grandchildren; siblings Bruce Ringstrom Sr. of Detroit Lakes; Phil Ringstrom of Sartell; and Karen Canfield of Minneapolis.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the church, and one hour prior to services Friday.
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