Ronald Kane

So now he has left the planet, a Pirate, a Parrott Head, a Captain of so many ships & most of all our best friend, Dad, Papa, and brother Captain Ron Kane. Thanks for all the wonderful memories & fun times we had.  We have all learned so much from you. You will be deeply missed not only by your family & friends in Idaho but also by all the friends you made in Costa Rica & around the world. Enjoy your new adventure as you embark as the captain of your new ship. All of our good times, adventures, & memories are embedded in our minds forever & will never be forgotten. We will be toasting a cold one in your honor forever & ever.

Ronald “Captain Ron” Kane was born on October 24, 1944 in Paisley Scotland to Thomas and Margaret Kane.  He was raised all over the world living in South Africa, Canada, and California as a kid.  He was a great big brother to his younger siblings Sandy, Brian, and Gail.  He always looked after them saving Sandy from wild monkeys, or helping Brian get his first motorcycle.  This was Ron throughout his life often putting the needs of others ahead of his own.  If you asked him he was a free spirit and did things his own way.  After graduating San Juan Capistrano High in San Clemente, he worked for legendary surfboard pioneer Hobie Alter, a very fitting job for a California beach bum. Hobie connected him with Fred Carrillo who made engine parts for some of motorsports biggest  legends, including Evel Knievel and Dan Gurney.  Ron made connecting rods for engines that raced in the Indy 500 and Formula 1 races.  One engine is in the Indianapolis motor speedway Museum.

He married Paula and they had  Kelly.  She had family in Rupert, Idaho.  In the 1970s Ron and his family moved to Rupert, where her family taught a beach bum how to farm.  He separated from Paula after which he met Carol Smith and had Zac in 1991.  He continued to farm until 2000 when he decided to start a recreational business on the Snake River and thus Kane’s Kove was officially born. For the next 22 years Ron would provide joy for thousands of people who floated the river.  Many people got to experience  the ride in the blue van or the green school bus down to the drop zone.  Those of us who were lucky enough, got a taste of his secret margarita recipe.  Ron enjoyed grand adventures and spent most winters going to Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica.  He shared some of these adventures with his dearest friends Murphy Hubbard, Phillip Webb, Russ Poole and Ron “Mango Man” Amundsen, who wrote the intro to this obituary. He even stayed in Costa Rica with Mango Man every winter for over 15 years.  In 2019 Ron started going to The Parker Strip in Arizona with his lifelong friend Larry B where he found his new crows nest at The Pirates Den Resort on the Colorado River.  In 2020 Ron made new friends in Boyd and Bernice at the Pirates Den.  They became fast friends and they spent the last several winters hanging at the den and riding side by sides to the Desert Bar.

Ron touched the hearts of many, and always provided excellent advice to anyone searching for it.  Nothing excited him more than sharing his adventures with family and friends.  His Latest adventure was spending numerous hours with his 2 youngest grandsons Enzo and Dutch. He would stay with them for a month or so before he headed to Arizona and another month when he returned from there. You would always know when Ron was back in Idaho you would hear the bell of the naked parrot running up and down the river and the sound of the margarita machine crushing ice and his engine revving from his side x side running up and down the river banks.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents Thomas and Margaret Kane.

Ron is survived by his kids Kelly and Zac and his grandkids Matthew, Chase, Enzo, Dutch and Baby Kane due in August and his siblings Sandy, Brian, and Gail and many nieces and  nephews and his best friend Mango Man.

Ron has always been vocal about wanting a party for the ages to celebrate him in death.  We will honor his wish and send him off right next Saturday at 2:00 PM  June 17, 2023 at Kanes Kove. We will provide food and share a taste of his Margarita recipe.  Tears will be shed but smiles will be had reminiscing on Ron’s many stories.

In lieu of flowers support your local bar and have a toast to The Captain.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ronald Kane, please visit our floral store.