Edward Ronald Dreher

Gpa, passed peacefully into the night at 83 on Tuesday June 22, 2021 in Anchorage, AK after

suffering a massive hemorrhagic stroke in his Eagle River, AK residence. He is survived by his

wife Faith Grote Dreher (78) of 54 years, his sister Jacqueline Dreher (81), and his seven

children Keira Dreher Giliam (49), Jamie Paul Dreher (46), Ryan Monday Scott (45), Jodi

Ronald Dreher (43), Peter Andrew Zaun Dreher (40), McKaylee Elizabeth Thornton (38),

Jon-Michael Joseph Dreher (35) and a gaggle of 12 grandchildren.

Ron was born on Saturday January 22, 1938 in Jersey City, NJ. As a young child living on

Staten Island, NY he remembered watching soldiers being shipped off to war inciting a

fascination and appreciation for the military for which he was drafted and served two years in

the U.S. Army from 1957-1959 at Fort Dix, NJ. His father Edward and his mother Mildred would

take the kids for summer vacations to Lake Sebago in upstate New York where he quickly and

heartily found his love of the outdoors in canoeing, fishing, and hiking, which was a big part of

the Dreher household when it came to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, family vacations to Bethany

Beach, DE, Lake Anna, VA, and eventually picking up skiing with his newly married wife Faith in

Crested Butte, CO, a pastime and hobby which all of his children at one point or another

weaved into their lives. His brother Roger and sister Jacque loved the mountains and air of

Colorado - Roger lived a long portion of his life in Gunnison until moving to warmer climates in

his older years and eventually passing away, and Jacque still lives in Colorado where she still

enjoys beautiful views and close friendships.

Ron was a star basketball player at New Dorp High School in New York City where he received

an all-city award, was asked to play in multiple all-star leagues, and eventually received an

athletic scholarship for basketball. Ron had a strong passion for sports which was a constant

with him throughout his life. Whether it was his children or grand-children, he loved attending

sports events, yelling, cheering, and motivating from the sidelines. You could find Ron walking

around the stadium or event venue chatting with other spectators about this or that, with his

positive banter and gregarious ability to make people feel welcome and appreciated; you could

specifically spot him by his snap-back baseball cap he would wear floating halfway off above his

regal crown. This love for sports moved the Dreher family from Gunnison, CO to Mesa, Arizona

to Salt Lake City, UT where Ron received a PhD in Health: Physical Education from the

University of Utah, then to Goleta, California and eventually to Gallaudet University in

Washington, D.C. where he was a Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Physical

Education and Athletics.

Ron made friends everywhere he went; whether it was on the basketball courts of his local

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the youth groups he led and mentored, in the

halls of the universities he taught in, at sports events, at the local grocery store, at the park; he

was adept and received immense pleasure from connecting with people and helping them

achieve their goals. He was an entertainer to the T, with his tales of close encounters with Polar

Bears on the Alaskan Tundra, to finding old German Luger pistols in the streams of New York, to

the harsh streets of New York City living in the 40’s and 50’s.

As his teaching duties with each class wound down to a close and he finished making his slam

dunk point, his final gesture was a hearty dusting off of the hands of invisible chalk and a full

palm out and front of both hands indicating the lesson for the day had been learned, you heard

everything you needed to hear from Dr. Dreher, and the responsibility was yours now to practice

what you learned and teach others. Here's a dusting-off and palms-out to you Ron to a positive

and well-balanced life of love, leadership, and learning.

We will be holding a memorial service at Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary and Cemetery at 7777 W

29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, 80033 at 10 am on Saturday July 31. If you have any comments or

stories you would like to share with the family please visit

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/wheat-ridge-co/edward-dreher-10253189 or visit

www.dignitymemorial.com and use the search function to search for Edward Ronald Dreher.