He was born on November 17, 1943, the youngest of three children to the late Henry and Lola (Rodriguez) Martinez in Santa Ana, California.
With an English degree in hand from California State University, Fullerton, Ron began a long and successful career in the television industry, an industry he truly loved. As he would frequently say, “I never worked a day in my life.” Holding a variety of positions (Assistant Director, Production Manager, Associate Producer, Producer) across the years at Paramount, MGM, Viacom, and Universal Studios, he thrived on facilitating the action and problem solving the demands of such shows as Knight Rider, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Miami Vice, and Little House on the Prairie. Although Ron missed the excitement of being on the set during his tenure as Vice President of TV Production at Universal Studio, he enjoyed having oversight of the making of multiple shows, including Coach, Major Dad, and Quantum Leap.
Ron succumbed to the lure of the Southern California Car Culture as a teenager attending Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Working on hot rods, attending races at Lions Drag Strip, cruising on Friday nights, and finding just the right car part at the Pomona Swap Meet were extracurricular activities that segued into much more in his adult years. As a proud owner of several hot rods and classic cars, Ron never tired of bringing home trophies from the Oakland Grand National Roadster Show or displaying a car at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles or featuring his cars in magazines. He frequently wrote op ed pieces for Hop Up. His Corvettes were his prized possessions. He served a term as President of the Southern California Chapter of the National Corvette Restorers Society.
Ron married Arlinda Eaton in 1989. They resided in Northridge, California until 2008 when they relocated to Marietta, Georgia.
Ron will be remembered for his quick wit, sense of humor, and robust spirit. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Arthur Espinoza, and his sister, Alicia Joyce Meisenheimer. He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Arlinda Eaton, and several cousins, nieces, nephews, and grand nephews.
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