May 27, 2019
Kerrville, TX - Grimes Funeral Chapels Obituary
Ron was born March 6, 1942 at Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington Illinois. Upon graduation of high school from Bloomington High, he attended Illinois State University for a year before enlisting in the Air Force. While in the Air Force he was trained in Electronics and stationed in Japan. He enjoyed the Japanese culture and the beauty to the extent he volunteered to remain in Japan for the duration of his service commitment. He acquired many friends while there and learned to speak Japanese. This was also the time that he met Yasuko, his future wife.
After returning to the states he was employed by Hughes Aircraft and completed his college education. During that time, he was hired to be a civilian employee on the aircraft carrier, the Enterprise. The Enterprise was sent to Korean waters, and all civilians had to disembark. He took that opportunity to fly over to Japan and reconnected with Yasuko, whom he married in 1968.
It was upon his return from Japan that he became an uncle. He was so proud, he introduced himself to everyone as Uncle Ron. Throughout the remainder of his life, coworkers, family and friends all called him Uncle Ron.
After leaving the Air Force, he secured employment with Grumman Northrop as an Aerospace Engineer. While employed with Northrup, he received his Masters degree in Business from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
His employment provided him opportunities to live in Tennessee, Utah, Gloucester, Massachusetts and Manassas, Virginia. He also lived 4 years in Germany and 4 years in Saudi Arabia, learning two additional languages.
It was while living in Germany that Ron became a true wine connoisseur, he could school you on the best wines and tell you why. You would often find him enjoying life on his back patio, surveying the rolling hills behind his home, while sipping a glass of wine and holding one of his favorite Cuban cigars. He lived a full life with a myriad of experiences and his friends and family would sit for hours and enjoy his great storytelling.
His love and passion for animals was boundless. His African gray parrots, Fuji and Charlie, were family members and conversed with so often you could have a conversation with them. The gentleness and love he showed his three Shitz Tzu’s, Chobi, Kandi and Yuki was something to behold.
He fulfilled his retirement dream of living the peaceful life on tree-filled acreage, amongst all of the wildlife he adored, in the Hill Country of Texas. Consequently, he was adopted by four cats, Blackie, The Captain, Nimbus and Whitey.
His wife of 50 years, Yasuko, preceded him in death two years prior. He is survived by sister Sherrie Gray, a niece, Christie (Michael) Bartusick, of Huntington Beach, California and two nephews, Brett (Laurie) Trimper of Garden Grove, California and DJ (Fernanda) Guy, residing in Florianopolis, Brazil. Uncle Ron is also survived by 8 grand-nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at Grimes Funeral Chapels on Friday, May 31 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.