Ronald Eugene Edelstein, age 80, died in Austin, Texas, on Friday, April 26, 2024. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi on November 18, 1943. He was orphaned as a child. His father, Herbert Carl Edelstein, died in WW II shortly after his birth, having seen only pictures of his infant son. His mother, Frances Rachel (Russell) Edelstein, soon became ill with cancer, and died when Ronald was 5 years old. Ron was raised by his grandparents in the small town of Vernon, Alabama. He attended Marion Military Institute in Alabama, then graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
He enlisted in the Navy and did one tour of active duty on the diesel submarine Angler and the destroyer Basilone, then spent 30 years in the reserves, where he spent time on many kinds of ships, the Riverine service, and in the Fleet Training Group. He achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4.
As a civilian he worked from 1970 to 1977 as a U.S. Customs Inspector at the border between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Ysidro (San Diego), California. He then became the Chief of Fines Penalties and Forfeitures, Los Angeles District, from 1977 to 1981. He left that job to become the import/export manager for Fujitsu America in San Jose, California. He continued working in this field until his retirement, working variously for Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas; Litton Industries, a division of Northrup Gruman International, also in Dallas; Solectron, an OEM electronics manufacturer, and Freescale, both in Austin.
He has been on the board of several industry-related organizations dedicated to keeping their members educated on issues of export and import. He was president of the Central Texas chapter of American Mensa in 2008.
He was an avid reader and collector, a great conversationalist on many topics, and was known for being a punster.
He is survived by his wife, Linda (Lee) Edelstein, whom he married on April 10, 1965 and celebrated 59 years of marriage two weeks before his death, and his four children, Kimberly Yvette Brewer (husband Jeff), Bonnie Jean McKean, David Edelstein (wife Monika) and Andrew Edelstein (wife Kemberley), six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.
Private burial at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. A memorial service will be held at Covenant United Methodist Church later in May, date to be added here. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Heart Association or to Covenant United Methodist Church in Austin, designated for the food pantry.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6