Ronald Duncan McMenamin

Reverend Ronald Duncan McMenamin, son of Duncan William McMillian McMenamin and Fanny Marie (Brownell) McMenamin, was born on January 5, 1939, in Detroit, MI. He was baptized at Knox Presbyterian Church in Windsor, ON, and raised in the Detroit area. After graduating from Cass Technical High School in 1957, he attended Alma College in Alma, MI. Ron later transferred to the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1964 and a Master of Divinity in 1967. Soon after receiving his Master’s, he was ordained as Minister of the Word and Sacrament of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Detroit. Ron also studied as a Doctoral Ministry Candidate (ABD) at Princeton Theological Seminary in the 1980s.

In 1963, Ron took a job as a summer worker with the Ganado Mission on the Navaho Indian Reservation in Ganado, AZ. There, he met a woman serving as a medical missionary on the same reservation, JoAnn Sue Stoakes. The pair were engaged by the end of the summer and married in Goldfield, IA, on June 6, 1964.

For the next four decades, Ron served churches in Woodman, WI (Immanuel Marion UCC); La Porte City, IA (First United Presbyterian); La Crosse, WI (North Presbyterian); Mt Pleasant, IA (First Presbyterian); Worthington, MN (Westminster Presbyterian); Branson, MO (First Presbyterian); and Washington, IA (Washington United Presbyterian). He was dedicated to charitable work in the numerous communities he served, helping to establish the Meals on Wheels (now “Mobile Meals of LaCrosse”) program in La Crosse in 1971. Later, he volunteered as a local leader in Rotary, Boy Scouts of America, and countless other organizations across the many places he called home.

In January 2004, Ron retired from Washington United Presbyterian Church. He loaded his pickup truck and trailer with books and woodworking equipment and made several trips east in preparation to relocate to North Carolina, so he and JoAnn could be closer to their young grandchildren. They moved to Willow Springs where Ron quickly “failed retirement,” beginning a second career as Pulpit Supply and Interim Pastor for New Hope Presbytery. He served churches across North Carolina: Kill Devil Hills (Outer Banks Presbyterian Church); Cary (Cornerstone Presbyterian); Mt Pleasant (White Memorial); and Durham (Trinity Avenue Presbyterian); as well as Parish Associate at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church in Cary until 2022. In 2014, Ron and JoAnn moved to Cary to be closer to their grandkids.

When not active in his church and community, Ron enjoyed woodworking, fly fishing, EC-12 model boat racing, grilling, and spending time with his family. Some of his favorite memories were enjoying the beach with his grandchildren off the Carolina coast at Emerald Isle and traveling to Scottish dance festivals to see his granddaughter, Marie, compete. While not an avid fan, Ron faithfully and sometimes enthusiastically accompanied JoAnn to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels Women’s Basketball home games for more than 15 years. After the death of his son-in-law in 2012, he stepped in as a paternal figure for his three local grandchildren, James, Delaney, and Regan.

Ron passed away on December 16, 2024. He was preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, James Robert Tallett. He is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, JoAnn (Stoakes) McMenamin; sister, Karen McMenamin; daughters, Jennifer (McMenamin) Tallett and Glenna McMenamin; son, Kirk McMenamin, and his wife, Rachel; and grandchildren James, Delaney, and Regan Tallett and Marie McMenamin.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on December 19 at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, 200 High Meadow Drive, Cary NC 27511, with a reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial donations may be made to Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church or Transitions LifeCare.