Ronald Lai

Ron is survived by his wife of 53 years, Judy; his son, Roger (Stephanie) and granddaughter Jillian of Sewell, New Jersey. He is also survived by his nephew, Salim Ling (Wendy) of Bannockburn, Illinois; brother, Robert (Nancy) of Jackson Heights, New York; sister, Sandra Lee Bilski (Walter) of Williamsburg, Virginia; brothers-in-law Allan Wang (Lisa) of Potomac, Maryland; Phillip Wang (Lely) of Singapore; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Walter Lai, of Elmhurst, New York; and his mother, Barbara Browne, of New York, New York.

Ron was born in New York, New York. Ron is a veteran of the United States Army and was posted at Fort Dix, Fort Knox and South Korea and received the Korea Defense Service Medal. He received Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York. He began his career at the Burndy Corporation and worked for Burndy and its successors for more than 55 years. Ron chaired numerous North American and global committees for promulgating electrical connector standards. He received the FCI Chairman’s Award, NEMA Key & Kite Award and the Canadian Standards Association Award. Ron was former member of the Framatome College of Experts and the Areva College of Experts. He was a lifetime member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Society of Automotive Engineers and National Fire Prevention Association.

He enjoyed traveling and had visited all 50 states along with various countries in Europe, Asia, North and Central America. He enjoyed fishing and had a lifetime love of music, learning to play the guitar, harmonica, violin and bugle. He was a motorcycle enthusiast who loved the feel of the open road. In his retirement, he volunteered as a Granite State Ambassador and with the AARP. His family and friends will always remember him as a loving, kind and hardworking person who could fix anything.

A memorial service will take place in the spring. Details forthcoming.

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