Our Ron was a dreamer.
Born January 26, 1951 in the Philippine capital city of Manila, Ron dreamed of infinite possibilities at a young age. An avid fan of comic books and science fiction, Ron believed in fighting for a better world and future. He left the Philippines for the United States in 1968, searching for better opportunities. To further fight for his ideals of freedom and honor, Ron enlisted in the army in 1971, serving in Germany. There, he met the love of his life, Julieta. They married in Bonn, Germany on May 28, 1974. After four years of devoted service, Ron left the army and returned to California.
The jobs Ron worked throughout the years are less important than the passions he pursued in that time. His interests were plentiful and varied, ranging from photography to firearms and cars to cooking. No matter how hard he worked during the weekdays – and he did work hard – he made time on the nights and weekends for the things he loved. Woodworking classes and motorcycle lessons. Car shows and gun shows. Movies and computers. Photography sessions at weddings and at his home studio. Meat smoking and adobo sauces and freshly baked bread.
Above all, he loved his family.
Though work often kept Ron during the weekdays, he did his best to make the most of his time with Julie and their three children: Mark, Kristine, and Jason. Ron loved to plan outings with his family to nearby lakes and parks to go boating or biking or hiking. Yearly family vacations took them to Lake Tahoe, Colorado Springs, Yosemite, Zion and many other beautiful, natural locales. Throughout the years, Ron shared his passions with his children alongside practical living skills. They watched Star Trek together while he taught them the proper way to fold clothes. He tried new recipes with his children as a way of teaching them to cook. He took them to car shows and, inadvertently, taught them what to do when they got lost at car shows. Once their children had grown, Ron and Julie left their empty nest in California in 2007 to settle in Rockwall, Texas, in a house beside a lake, as he had often dreamed of having.
Though Ron displayed a hard and gruff exterior, it belied a sentimental and loving interior. In 2011, Ron welcomed his first grandson, Nathaniel. Ron was immediately smitten and became a doting grandfather. As Ron’s declining health began to get the better of him as he grew older, the sharp edges of his personality slowly filed away. Ron was overjoyed again with the birth of his second grandson, Simon, in 2018. Ron was appreciative of the constant care provided to him by his beloved wife and by the diligent healthcare workers at the VA hospital. Despite his illness, visits from his children, grandchildren, and extended family always brought a wide smile to his face.
On June 1, 2020, Ron passed away peacefully at his home after a long battle with complications from diabetes. He is survived and dearly missed by his devoted wife Julie; his siblings Ramon, Myrna, Rick, and Michael; his children Mark, Kristine, and Jason; and his two grandchildren Nathaniel and Simon. He is preceded in death by his mother, Dolores Stone, and his stepfather, Michael Stone. Services in Ron’s honor will be held at Acheson & Graham Garden of Prayer Mortuary on June 17: Visitation will be held from 9am to 11am, with a rosary service starting at 10am. The funeral will take place from 11am to noon. At 1pm, Ron will be laid to rest at Riverside National Cemetery with honors.
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