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"They started with nothing, they believed in the American capitalist system," their son said. "They believed in creating something better for their children, providing an opportunity for me, then afterwards for my sister." "He thought, 'Wow. Obviously these people don't much care for what they're eating here,'" recalled his son, Ralph C. Stayer on Monday. "'If I could make a great bratwurst, I could build a really good business.' So he set to work to make a really great-tasting bratwurst." He was preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Rechelli, and his brother, Bernard Stayer. Adjacent to the 21st Avenue public beach path at Gordon Drive, this residence located at 2100 Gordon Drive was sold to a company controlled by Ralph and Shelly Stayer of Wisconsin.
The company also produces meatballs, sausage slices and pork patties. Stayer and his wife bought the 50-year-old butcher shop not because they wanted to get into the meat business, but because they wanted a piece of the American dream, Ralph C. Stayer said. A life based on hard work, hope and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
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The 8-year Naples resident is co-owner of Johnsonville Sausage with husband Ralph Stayer, whose father started the now global company. Needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. Ralph F. Stayer died in Naples in 2007 at age 92, and his life was celebrated by 700 friends and family members and a visit from the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, a 65-foot truck that can cook 750 bratwursts at once. Today, Johnsonville produces more than 40 different varieties of sausage and is the nation’s top-selling brand of brats, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links.
"He trained me well. I'm the same way — if it isn't the best thing I've ever eaten, I don't want it." Those experiences later led Ralph and Alice Stayer to become philanthropists, taking special interest in causes that benefit children and education. And Alice B. Stayer Center in Sheboygan is named for them, as is Stayer Park in Plymouth. He got all the way through school, despite the Great Depression, but one month before he would have graduated from high school he got an opportunity to work in President Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps and dropped out of school. Stayer is survived by his wife of 69 years, Alice; his two children, Ralph C. Stayer and Launa Stayer-Maloney, and a number of grandchildren. She started her career in public radio as an intern for the Miami-based NPR station, WLRN.
Mary Sadler Stayer
That moment began after Tucker proposed in December 2018, four months after Brooke’s sister, Brittany Wagner Scalia, wed in Kohler, Wisconsin, which is near Johnsonville headquarters in Sheboygan Falls. The sisters’ late father, Larry Wagner, was remembered at both events, including a note of dedication on Brooke and Tucker’s ceremony card that listed 26 attendants, not counting the matron of honor and best man. The intimacy of the nuptials offered a tranquil interlude to a long weekend filled with parties, performances, fireworks, and a surprise private show by Kenny Chesney. The country star is a favorite of the couple’s back in Wisconsin, where they and their friends gather at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, to watch him play. Photography by Nancy Cohn.What began as a glance on a school bus in Wisconsin would culminate in one of Naples’ most spectacular weddings, a three-day event marked by pageantry and grace that ranged from Port Royal to The Ritz—both resorts, beach and golf.
Naples resident Ralph Stayer, is planning to retire from the helm of Johnsonville Sausage on April 1.
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As we say goodbye to our friend, Ralph F. Stayer, we find comfort that we can continue to savor the efforts of his life through the variety of footprints he left on the world or just in one simple, delicious bite of a Johnsonville Brat. Ralph F. Stayer was born on March 15, 1915 to a poor immigrant family living in Eli, Minn. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wis., RF found himself the sole provider as the oldest in a family of six, without a father, at the height of the great depression. Due to his position in the family, RF never graduated high school.
After meeting and marrying his life long love and partner, Alice Brinkman Stayer in 1938, RF moved his family to a small town in Wisconsin. RF and Alice lived a simple life filled with hope and a strong entrepreneurial attitude. Saving every penny RF made while working at Plankington Packing Company, Alice and RF were able to purchase a small meat market in Johnsonville, Wis. in 1945 with $1,500 left for capital.
But even as RF and Alice's situation changed, RF remained focused on the quality of taste. When it came to great tasting meat, RF had a natural born talent. Everything came together one day when a festival changed the course of his life. RF and Alice were attending a local festival when he noticed a considerable number of half eaten brats in the trash. RF realized that if he could develop a great tasting brat, he could set his company apart.
Stayer, 71, son of the late founders of Johnsonville Sausage, grew up a part of the family business and has been at the helm of the national company since 1968. Before they ever bought the retail shop in Johnsonville, the Stayers put money down on a florist shop in Milwaukee, where they were living at the time, their son said. Stayer's humble beginnings fostered a rock-solid work ethic, his son said. When the elder Stayer was 11, his father left the family and Ralph started working to help support his mother and five siblings. "That's when my dad knew he had a great recipe," said Ralph C. Stayer, 64.
He also didn't tell many people that he almost didn't get into the meat industry at all. Even after his son took over the reins of the business, the elder Stayer stayed involved in the workings of Johnsonville. "He drilled it in pretty good because I certainly make other people crazy these days," Ralph C. Stayer said.
Launa Stayer-Maloney, RF's daughter and owner of Johnsonville Sausage, tells a story of how a loyal customer's behavior changed after RF created his brat. From a single butcher shop to an international sausage provider, Stayer oversaw the company his parents started from their town of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The definition of success, RF Stayer proved that the American dream is real and not just a story told to encourage enterprise. His keen eye for opportunity, paired with a strong work ethic and dedication to his craft, grew RF from a poor boy to an accomplished man. A man not only defined by his accomplishments, but also by those he loved and those he helped.
RF insisted on spending his free time fishing with the grandchildren, hunting with his son, or golfing with his wife and daughter. At the age of 70, he became the club golf champion at the Naples Country Club in Naples, Fla.; an accomplished golfer with four holes-in-one to his name. He traveled around the world as an avid outdoorsman in search of beautiful game and like all other fisherman RF had many a great "fish tale" to tell. Based on the overwhelming response to their brats, Ralph and Alice decided to turn their neighborhood butcher shop into a sausage company. As the years passed, Johnsonville began to move toward the company we know today.
Ralph is the Chairman and CEO of Johnsonville Sausage LLC, America's largest sausage producer. Once the details were in place, it was time to design the invitation suite. Before they could take over, the owner got a better offer and refunded the Stayers' money, which is when they pursued the perfect bratwurst in Johnsonville. In fact, RC and Launa were not the only ones to see the emphasis RF placed on taste. He was meticulous about the sausage made at Johnsonville. "What we saw in recent years is that families living in Immokalee were the least likely to come into Naples to be sheltered at our domestic violence center," Oberhaus said.
