Joseph "Ron" Ronald Levesque

Ron was born on July 14, 1940, in Nashua, New Hampshire where his father, Alfred, was a landscaper, and his mother, Sylvia, was a phone operator for Southern Bell. They moved to Riviera Beach, Florida in the early 50s with his sister, Pat. As a child, Ron grew a strong passion for aviation, a passion he treasured his whole life. He attended St. Ann’s West Palm Beach High School.

After high school, Ron joined the Army. He rose through the ranks and was a Sergeant before being honorably discharged on August 31, 1962. After the Army, Ron moved to Southern California to attend college. Within a year, he met his future wife, Charlene. While living in Huntington Beach, CA, they adopted their son, Shawn, in 1966.

In 1967, Ron got his pilot license. He worked for CIS as VP of Operations where he managed the West Coast operations. In the 70s and 80s, he spent much of his times working in Hawaii. He spent many years working in the sugar cane, pineapple, and oversea shipping industry. He spent so much time in Hawaii that he purchased a plane to help himself island hop from job to job. On the weekends, he would fly back to Southern California to spend time with his family or fly his family out to the Islands to spend time with him. Spending time together as a family was always important to him.

In 1979, they left their home in California to move to Eugene, Oregon where new adventures awaited them. There, Ron left CIS and opened Timberland Tire & Trail in Roseburg. The business was successful, but he missed consulting, so he started Levesque & Associates in Portland, which quickly grew to over 50 employees nation wide. In 1985, Ron and Charlene moved to Portland, OR and eventually divorced.

In 1987, Ron met his current wife Ria on a flight from LA to Honolulu. Levesque & Associates had several projects in Hawaii, and he was headed back there. Ria was on her way home from a business trip in San Diego. They started a long-distance relationship and saw each other Friday evenings until Monday mornings in both Hawaii and Portland. Ria moved to Portland in 1988.

In 1990, they moved to Florida. Family was important to Ron, and this allowed him to be close to his mother and sister. When Ron wasn’t flying in the air, he was sailing on the sea. He bought a sailboat where they would sail the Intracoastal Waterway following the Gulf of Mexico. A year after moving to Florida, Ron and Ria were married in Antigua.

Traveling was another big aspect in Ron’s life, as he traveled to every state in the United States, Europe, and Africa. When going to Europe, they would visit Ria’s family and stay for months at a time in Belgium. He loved it all, but especially the sailing trips with Ria’s brother where they would sail the North Sea and the English Channel.

In 2006, they decided to move back to Oregon, where they had four grandsons and one granddaughter. Ron briefly retired but almost immediately needed something to do. He became a volunteer at the Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum in Hillsboro. It was a perfect fit for him. He acted as a tour guide until it led him to work with Premier Jets.

Ron loved life and was always ready for a new adventure and willing to try anything. He loved flying, sailing, deep sea diving, biking, and reading about history. He also picked up a new hobby late in life and bought a Porsche, which he planned to take on the racetrack.

He is survived by his wife Ria, a sister, Pat, his sons, Shawn and Remi, a daughter, Chantal, and four grandchildren.

A memorial service for Ron will be held Friday, October 28, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary, 6801 SW Sunset Hwy, Portland, OR 97225, in the Great Hall Chapel. A reception will follow in the Godiva Reception Hall.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.finleysunsethills.com for the Levesque family.