On May 5th, 2023, Ron DeLuca — aka Ronaldus, Ronnie, Ronnie Blue Eyes, Ron DMC, Ug, The King, Hagrid 2.0, Gimli 2.0, Ol’ Sausage Fingers, Dad, Daddy, Nonno, etc. — left this earth and ascended into the big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in the sky, as his watch has ended.
Ron was an architect, a master welder, stained glass creator, teacher, and all-around fantastical human being. He built and crafted whatever was in his mind, put it to paper, and brought it to life. He was a spinner of tales, an expert storyteller. So naturally Ron constructed a life for himself that rivaled the stuff of legends.
Ron was born in New York City in 1951 to Gennaro (Jerry) and Pauline (Paula) DeLuca. He was the only child in a New York-Italian family, and spoiled to the ends of the earth as Italian parents do. It was during his teenage years that the Legend of Ron began to be written.
He once shimmied along the third-story ledge of a Manhattan building to steal a Christmas tree, just to entertain his high school classmates. During a nor’easter snowstorm.
He was a member of the New York City Teamsters, held an official butcher’s license, and was in a (friendly and mostly harmless) neighborhood gang in New York with his father. A small scar on the palm of his right hand was a souvenir from a knife fight with a rival gang.
He went on a date with the daughter of a prominent mafia member while in high school, and allegedly another car opened fire on the car Ron and his date were in. “Riddled with bullets” was the phrase he used, and there was no word on if there was a second date.
During a trip to Ireland with his friend Crazy George in the 1960s, Ron encountered a leprechaun — a ginger-haired, gold-flipping leprechaun — who gave them directions when they were lost. Leprechauns are tricksters by nature, of course, so understandably Ron and his friend ended right back at the same bridge. Only to encounter that shifty leprechaun again, and only to take his directions to heart a second time and get un-lost. Again, no word on how many pints of Guinness or ‘Lucky Charms’ were consumed prior to this encounter.
Other classic Ron tales include missing being accepted to MIT by one point, narrowly missing becoming best friends with Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve at Juilliard, inventing the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, descending from the Martinelli Gold Medal Sparkling Cider family line, being a member of Hells Angels despite not knowing how to proficiently ride a motorcycle, allegedly ripping his pants off in front of 500,000 people, being fluent in French, and almost — ALMOST — getting his license to fly Black Hawk helicopters.
These are but a fraction of the fantastical stories of Ron DeLuca. When he’d tell any story, he left you entranced with his booming voice, his animated facial expressions and hand gestures, and unwavering commitment to his truth. And while many of the stories above are questionably true, here are some things that definitely are:
He went to Woodstock.
He thought he had a great singing voice, but didn’t.
He was the King of the Medieval Fair.
He was an Eagle Scout.
He thought he could sell a shoebox full of rose rocks to fund an entire family vacation. He found out, in fact, he could not.
He designed and built his own house with his own hands.
He traveled to over 30 countries.
He wore a toupee for several years.
He was a ballroom dancer.
He was accepting of everyone, no matter the color of their skin, gender, or beliefs.
He loved people because they were different.
The bottom of his feet were thicker than rhinoceros skin, making it impossible for him to feel a tickle.
Kids often confused him with Santa.
Adults often confused him with Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac.
He enjoyed leatherwork.
He saved a lot of crumbs in his beard ‘for later.’
He loved playing cards.
He couldn’t hold up the number ‘3’ with his fingers.
He was proud of his kids.
He truly was the most interesting man in the world.
Ron is survived by his son, Bryan DeLuca, who mirrors his father more than he’s willing to admit. His daughter, Taylor DeLuca, who was obviously his favorite child. His daughter-in-law, Laura DeLuca, who has and does graciously put up with all the DeLuca men. His granddaughter, Eleanor DeLuca, who was the most precious gift to him. His grandson, Camp DeLuca, who will carry on the DeLuca name and personality of his grandfather. He is also survived by a collection of friends and family who laughed with him, at him, and loved him dearly. Oh, and hundreds of scorpions, snakes, mice, frogs, wasps, and other creatures that he allowed to freely cohabitate with him.
To properly honor such an extraordinary life, please sign this petition to make his birthday, January 22nd, National Ronaldus Day. https://www.change.org/ronaldusday
A celebration of Ron will be held at Legends Restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma on June 1st, 2023 at 2:30pm. If you have stories about Ron, please bring them. If you want to wear a suit or something fancy, that’s fine. Just know he’d probably make fun of you for it.
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