Sunday, July 5, 2015

The Warped Mind of Ron

Sad news this week: my friend Ron passed away.  We had never met in person; in fact I never heard the sound of his voice, but after 8 years of reading and commenting on each others' blogs, occasionally exchanging e-mails, and being Facebook friends, I feel that I knew him pretty well.  I can say with authority that the world is a lesser place without him.

Ron was one of the many under-appreciated Good Guys of the world.  He was super-smart, funny, loyal, and considerate.  The one great sadness of his life was that he was never able to experience mutual true love.  He tried  online dating sites, but he didn't fit the profile that women were looking for.  It's a darn shame, because he could have been a fine husband and father.  I believe that if he had found someone to share his life with he may have been able to take care of his health better and live longer.  I no longer have sympathy for any single women in Columbus, Ohio.  You could have had Ron; it's too late; you missed your chance; I don't want to hear any whining about how you just can't find a good guy out there.  He was right here and you passed him up because he didn't look like he just jumped off the pages of GQ.  You only have yourselves to blame.

I'm not sure exactly how old Ron was... somewhere in his mid-forties.  He had some serious health problems, including his ticker.  I never found out specifically what got him in the end, but my best guess is a heart attack.  He didn't see it coming.  He had just signed up to take guitar lessons.  I was looking forward to hearing how they went.

His workplace is going to be in a pickle without Ron.  He was the only guy who understood their computer systems, and their computer systems were essential to running the machinery in the plant.  I don't know what they'll do without him.  Probably figure out his real value when they're forced to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading their systems, now that he's no longer around to nurse and cajole their aging, jury-rigged set-up into producing results.

But mostly he'll be missed by his many friends, and family.  There has been an outpouring on his Facebook page.  He will be missed for his sweet heart, and for his bizarro sense of humour, which often involved stories about squirrels plotting to take over the world.  I wish he could have stayed with us longer.

Bye, Ronnie.  I miss you! xoxo
Spark.

11 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

What a lovely tribute. How sad, I didn't know Ron but he sounds like a really nice guy, and yes they do exist. Don't you think men get a bad press nowadays? Anyway I could write a whole post about that, so I'll shut up and say sorry for the loss of your good friend.

Jenny Woolf said...

I'm sorry that Ron has disappeared from Blogland. I too enjoyed his comments. I'm glad you wrote this nice tribute.

Vanessence7 said...

I am so sorry, Spark. Clearly you cared about him a great deal. *hugs* This was a heartfelt tribute, and I'm sure he would have been honored.

PhilipH said...

I did not know this man but I DO KNOW that losing a long-standing friend in Blogland can be heart-breaking. One can get deeply involved with long-standing friends and they are REAL friends to many of us. Your 'eulogy' of Ron is beautifully put.

Ginny said...

I read his blog from time to time. I'm so sad to hear he passed away. He seemed like a very nice guy.

DarcKnyt said...

This is such a lovely eulogy for someone. I'm sorry for your loss, Spark, and for the loss his friends and family are experiencing too. I'll be sure to pray for them all. And you too, as always.

Gia said...

Aw, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend :(

G. B. Miller said...

I used to read his blog from time to time. A bit cerebral, but overall, a good one. I'm really sorry to hear that he had passed away. I enjoyed reading his comments here from time to time.

A wonderful eulogy you have written there young lady.

Lynn said...

G took the words right out of my mouth - a lovely eulogy. So sorry to hear he has passed away.

Jenski said...

All of this sounds so true to me too. I've thought of Ron many times since his passing, and always think how strange it is that he's gone. I hope he did know how many people cared about him and were on his side.

Snowbrush said...

I’m very sorry for your loss. I’ve lost blogger friends who I loved, and you’re the second person whose blog I visited today who lost a friend (http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com/2015/07/on-passing-of-friend.html) In his case, the friend expected to die and wrote a post to be put online when he did. The blogger whom I miss most lived in Ontario, and her name was Renee. She also knew that she was dying (of cancer), and spent her last months encouraging other bloggers regarding their far lesser problems. Her strength gave her the appearance of invincibility, so although her death was expected on one level, it came as a shock on another as in, “How can she be gone? She was so good, so loving, and so strong, that I thought she always be a part of my life, and to have her simply be a part of my memories is so lame by comparison that I’ll never get used to it.”

“stories about squirrels plotting to take over the world”

That rings a bell, but I don’t use Facebook, so I don’t know how I would have known him…

“The one great sadness of his life was that he was never able to experience mutual true love.”

I definitely lucked-out in this regard. It’s funny, though, because while I think that Peggy might be the only woman on earth who would put up with me, it also occurs to me that she has a hand in “inspiring” some my most childish and neurotic behavior. In other words, while she does put with me, and I know that I’m not easy to put up with, she’s not so easy to put up with herself.