Ronald Dean Harter

Ronald (Ron) Dean Harter, age 66, of League City, Texas passed away on Thursday, June 29, 2023 after a tragic motorcycle accident in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. He was born on September 8, 1956 in Angola, Indiana to Wilbur D. Harter and Lois J. (Sonner) Harter. He attended Angola High School and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1974. His naval duty stations included Holy Loch, Scotland, Bremerton, Washington, and New London, Connecticut. Ron was a proud submariner, serving on the USS Andrew Jackson and the USS Michigan.

Ron married the love of his life, Lisa Mae Elliott, on July 11, 1981 in Avon Lake, Ohio. Together, they had two children: Jeremy (Jay) Tyler, born in 1983 and Allison Mae, born in 1984. Ron was extremely devoted to his family. One of his proudest and greatest joys in life was being Grandpa to Quinlan, Eli, Elena, and Elliott. With them, he shared his love of watching movies and eating popcorn. As a family, Ron embarked on what they would all call “Harter Family Adventures” in which they all learned to “expect the unexpected” and embrace all the highs and lows of life. Sometimes there were tears, there was always laughter; if everyone was together, all was well. The void of togetherness left in the wake of his passing is vast.

Ron had a robust career, spanning decades, in computer software engineering and business analytics, recently retiring from 12 years of dedicated service to Hewlett-Packard in Houston, Texas. He was a two-time survivor of prostate cancer.

As a navy veteran, Ron was a member of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI), American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, the Fleet Reserve Association, and Forty and Eight, always seeking opportunities to give back to his fellow military veteran community. He was actively serving as President of the USSVI – Cavalla Base. Ron enjoyed sharing stories of his time “punching holes in the ocean.” He became an avid motorcyclist and had the opportunity to blend these two passions by joining the Silent Service Motorcycle Club (SSMC) and the American Legion Riders. He was a founding member of and actively serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the SSMC – Lone Star Chapter, Gulf Coast Division. Additionally, Ron rode with the Bay Area V-Twins Motorcycle Club. He loved the beauty and freedom of the open road and the feeling of the wind on his face, taking numerous cross-country motorcycle trips with his wife and close friends.

In addition to his love of motorcycle riding, Ron enjoyed brewing homemade beer, scuba diving and welding as hobbies in different times of his life. He enjoyed cooking and smoking meat. Trying new and inventive recipes in the kitchen to share with his family and friends made gatherings so enjoyable and he loved it. Ron was passionate about music and had been spending time learning to play the acoustic guitar. Some of his favorite bands and performers were Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, and Neil Young, some of which will be music to be shared at his Celebration of Life. He loved a good concert.

Ron was preceded in death by his father, Wilbur D. Harter; his mother, Lois J. (Sonner) Harter; his brother, Steven L. Harter; and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Ron is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lisa M. (Elliott) Harter of League City, Texas; son, Jeremy Harter, of Houston, Texas; daughter and daughter-in-law, Allison and Diana Harter, of Houston, Texas; grandson, Quinlan Elliott Harter, of Aloha, Oregon; grandchildren, Eli James Harter, Elena Michelle Harter, and Elliott David Harter, of Houston, Texas; brother and sister-in-law, William E. (Bill) and Shari Dean-Harter, of Angola, Indiana; sister, Josie Stevens, of Angola, Indiana; numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Ron’s family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the first responders and bystanders that gave their best efforts to provide resuscitative measures. The kindness, care, and compassion that was bestowed upon a very loving husband, father, and grandfather in his time of transition is something that will never be forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Ron’s memory to the American Cancer Society at http://donate.cancer.org or the Fisher House Foundation in support of the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center – Fisher House at https://fisherhouse.org/programs/houses/current-houses/texas-michael-e-debakey-va-medical-center-i-ii-iii/ or by calling 301-294-8560.