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Born in Ely, Minn., Ralph moved to Milwaukee as a teen, dropping out his senior year of high school to work and support his parents and five siblings during the Depression. His butcher shop was strug- gling in 1945 when he went to a picnic and saw garbage cans filled with half-eaten brats. He and his wife drew upon their Slovenian and Austrian heri- tage to invent a better tasting bratwurst based on a family recipe. He knew they were doing something right when a customer, who previously ordered five pounds of brats and 30 pounds of hamburger, was now ordering 30 pounds of brats and five pounds of hamburger. The Johnsonville Sausage Co. became a multi- million dollar business under the family’s leader- ship. The brats are sold seasonally at some 4,000 McDonald’s nationwide and in 16 NFL stadiums. Mr. Stayer started with nothing but had joy in watching his business blossom in 40 countries. The company is the main sponsor of the annual brat festival in Madison, Wis., in which participants eat nearly 190,000 spiced pork sausages during the four-day Memorial Day event. Despite his success, Mr. Strayer never forgot his humble roots. He donated generously to causes supporting the underprivileged in Milwaukee