December 24, 1947 - March 11, 2025
In loving memory ~
Ron died unexpectedly of a heart attack in the ER at Cowichan District Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 44 years Colleen of Chemainus, his son Casey of North Bay, Ontario and his daughter Shoshanna Helton of Kenai, Alaska.
Ron was born in Los Angeles in 1947, the oldest of four boys and a sister. Shortly after his birth his family moved to Bozeman, located in Montana the state where his parents were born. He and his brothers roamed freely from dawn to dusk in the exquisitely beautiful Gallatin River valley. His mentor was his paternal grandpa who taught the boys to hunt and fish to augment their meals. Ron became a passionate fly fisherman!
He and Colleen met in West Virginia while they were attending the 5th Basic Course at Claymont Academy. He moved to her home in Guelph, Ontario and became a Permanent Resident of Canada in 1981. After 14 years, the confines of city life, became too restrictive. To appease his wanderlust, he converted an old Grumman bread van into a motor home. They spent a year criss-crossing the continent in search of a future home. Chemainus fit the bill and they moved into an old mill house on Chemainus Rd. which Ron remodelled into a retail shop and studio for Colleen.
Ron worked for British Petroleum on the North Slope of the Alaska oilfields. He worked a rotation of three weeks on and off which seemed to suit the independent couple very well. When he was home, he continued his love of fishing, pawning and crabbing.
In 2003, they moved to their little yellow cottage beside Kin Park and his beloved ocean.
The last few years were not particularly kind as one after another, health problems presented themselves. He spent his final years sitting on the deck enjoying the view and chewing the fat with the locals.
Ron was generous, kind-hearted and soft-spoken. It was impossible not to love his quirky sense of humour and we truly miss him.
A celebration of his life will be will announced at a later date.