Christopher James Ranta

IRONWOOD, Mich. - Christopher James Ranta, aka Uncle Cool, 37, passed away unexpectedly on July 11, 2023.

He was born to Art and Liz Ranta on Christmas night, Dec. 25, 1985. He attended school in Ironwood until 9th grade, and was never shy about the fact that he was a 9th grade dropout who forged his own educational path and went on to complete his GED ('er whatever) and attend Gogebic Community College, maintaining a 4.0 while there.

Chris worked a couple manual labor jobs in the area and then moved out to Colorado not once, but twice. During his second term, he was employed in the oil field specifically in solids control. While there, he worked his way up to be one of the most sought-after solids control men in the country. He even used his limited chemistry knowledge to work with a mud engineer and technician to develop a drilling solids separation technique that led his drilling rigs to break records for well drilling times. This was widely noticed in the industry, and he soon was sent off to teach other divisions the technique.

After his oilfield stint, that always held a place in his heart, he moved back home and took on the plastics industry. He started from a molding operator position and through his natural intelligence picked things up quickly and was noticed by management. He moved from molding operator to lead molding engineer with RJG Master Molder certification in record time with no prior experience. He never let his lack of education discourage him because he knew his intelligence would carry him through.

One beautiful day in July, Chris's Madeline Rose was born, the absolute light of his life. A quote from a poem that Chris shared about Maddie, says it better than we could put into words: "She would be the reason I would always try my best. For my little angel baby girl would be my greatest test."

Chris loved to spend time with his family and friends, especially out in nature hunting and fishing. When he was young, he participated in 4-H shooting sports, ski jumping at Wolverine and loved to snowboard with his buddies. He was always the life of the party, making everyone laugh, even at his own expense. He was there for anyone who needed him at the drop of a hat, no questions asked. He loved fiercely and his loyalty to those he loved was endless.

Chris is survived by his precious child, Reino Madeline Ranta; mother, Liz Ranta; sister, Erin (Tommy) Ross; brothers, Dan (Andrea), Ben and Andrew Ranta; nieces, Feliz, Elizabeth (aka, Blube a Scoob) and Ella (aka Ellagator); nephew John; and mother of his angel, Tiffany Mullen.

A memorial service will be held on Aug. 21, in Ironwood. More details will be published closer to the date of the service.

The family has chosen McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home to honor Chris' legacy of life. To make an online condolence visit McKevittPatrickFuneralHome.com.