Ronald L. Chyba, 67, passed away on February 9 2014, in Lihue, Hawaii as reported by Janet Chyba Thoresen DHS1955

Ron is holding his Derringer dual barrel  .45/410 shotgun for self defense

Ronald L. Chyba, 67, passed away on February 9 2014, in Lihue, Hawaii.

He was born September 18, 1946 to Joseph and Ann Chyba, in Deadwood, and attended school there and Riverside, Calif. He went to Black Hills State University, and took courses at Riverside City College.

Ron was a computer programmer for ESCO Technologies, working on guidance systems for submarines. He received helicopter training in the Army, and was stationed in Texas.

He is survived by his brother, Robert Chyba of Campbellsport, Wisconsin; sister, Janet Thoresen of Spearfish South Dakota; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Cremation has taken place, with inurnment to be at a later date.

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DickD Remembrance

Ron at his 81 Stewart Street house

I knew Ron his whole life.  He was my friend. 

Chybas, Allens, Veitls, Lesters, myself, and others lived in the neighborhood behind the Deadwood Hospital.  Ron was much younger than the rest of us so he was always left behind.  As a result he was loner when growing up.  He attended the Deadwood School and was already in high school when he and his mother moved to California. After high school graduation Ron attended college. 

Being extremely intelligent, he was interested in computing and electronics.  He excelled at ESCO Technologies with major contributions.  Ron was always a voracious reader and developed mystical beliefs along with a strong wanderlust to travel.  His computing ID was Shivaron from his interest in the Hindu Shiva.  Ron’s belief of Shiva set his spiritual life and minimalist quiet lifestyle of a complete loner.  His wonderlust to travel was strong so he lived wherever he had a interest to be. 

He left California and ESCO and eventually returned to Deadwood and the Black Hills. At one time he had a rough terrain motorbike and completely explored the Black Hills.  

Ron and I spent quiet times talking and at my urging, he explained his beliefs and lifestyle.  He agreed it was different that most people but observed it was not a life for most people.
 

For his last destination he moved to Kauai HI USA as he felt his exploration of the Black Hills was complete. Little was heard from Ron until his death.

I did receive an email from Shivaron two years ago that addressed my email question of his writing about cave living:

Ron’s email response reads:

DickD wrote: "For a cave, how you (Ron) picked the spot, planning, access, cave set up, how you passed time, experiences, and why you gave up on the idea. I think this is a great personal interest story. As I remember you never felt that you were alone there and felt a strong need to leave"

I did a lot of camping in the hills, but never lived in a cave. So.. there was never a "giving up on the idea" or "feeling a strong need to leave. True, it would make for a GREAT human interest story on your website if that were the case. I think this is how rumors get started, no?
 

I can tell you truthfully that one night at one of my base camps and on a full moon, a pack of four or five coyotes showed up and began howling just a few yards from my tent. I attached some significance to that encounter at the time because it just happened to be on the morning of my birthday!

Also, I can address the issue of not feeling alone.  As a kid, I spent a lot of time by myself in the forest behind our old house on Stewart St. I would hike up to White Rocks or Devil's Cave and eat lunch there or sometimes take a book and climb a tree and read. I read the entire book "Old Yeller" in a tree. It was during that period that I learned to feel comfortable being alone. Early on I realized one could feel "lonely" in a crowd of people and also one can feel "crowded" when all by oneself. It occurred to me that it's simply a  point of view. It was one of those "Aha" moments that I've always valued. No matter what circumstances I've found myself in throughout my life, I've never felt crowded OR alone. But more importantly I've never made decisions based on that kind of subjective perception.