Ronald William Meinel, 83, of Puyallup, Wash., passed away peacefully surrounded by his family Friday, July 21, 2017, at the Paragon Adult Family Home in Puyallup. Ron was born March 13, 1934, in Portland, Ore.
He grew up in the Farmington area where he was raised by his father and close family friends, Charles and Mary Clark and their daughter, Bonnie, who Ron remained close to until his death. He graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1952, and attended Portland State University for two years.
Ron then enlisted in the United States Army and served two years as an antiaircraft artilleryman, which included a tour in Alaska. He graduated from Whittier College in 1959, with a degree in geology, where he met his future bride, Margarita Sepulveda at a school social. They married Dec. 18, 1958, and was a loving, attentive and devoted husband throughout their years together.
Ron and Margarita had three children and lived in the Sacramento, Calif., area, with a brief stay in Hawaii in 1960. In July 1969, he moved his family to the Seattle area to work for the Mutual Materials Company. Ron retired from the company after 30 years as vice president of production, overseeing brick manufacturing plants throughout the Pacific Northwest. Before his retirement, he built their dream home on 36 acres in Toledo, Wash., where they spent their retirement years until 2015, when they moved to Puyallup, Wash.
In addition to being a loving husband, father and brother, Ron had a wide range of interests and activities. He enjoyed camping, astronomy, fine carpentry, weather watching and volunteering with the Boy Scouts. Some of his children’s best memories were their three week long camping vacations the family took across the Western U.S., Canada and frequent camping trips to Ocean Shores, Yosemite and Mt. Rainier.
He was also an avid reader with a keen interest in history, science and science fiction. During his retirement years, he enjoyed being the “gentleman farmer,” watching his grandchildren grow up and being active with the Cowlitz Prairie Grange. Ron particularly enjoyed helping with the annual Threshing Bee. He was a man of integrity, commitment and character and will be missed dearly by all who knew him.
Ron is survived by his wife, Margarita of 58 years; son, James (Amber) Meinel; daughters, Judy (David) Hankins and Linda Goodwin; sister of the heart, Bonnie (Clark) Petersen; half-brothers, Bill (Marsha), Dennis, Ricky (Charlyn) and Donald; step-sisters, Linda and Noana; grandchildren, Patrick and Emily Meinel, Jeff (Katie), Matt (Thoa) and Daniel Hankins, Andrew, Alex and Tim Goodwin; and great-grandchildren, Cesare and Alki Meinel and Carolyn Hankins; and numerous nieces and nephews in Hawaii.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William George and Emma Alice (Snawder) Meinel; half-brother, Lee Alkire Jr.; step-brothers, Daniel, Joseph and Wesley; son-in-law, Ken Goodwin; and daughter-in-law, Jenae (Kemp) Meinel.
PRIVATE FAMILY MILITARY INTERNMENT: Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE: Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Paragon Adult Family Home, 710 25th St. SE, Puyallup, WA 98372.
Arrangements: Curnow Funeral Home, 1504 Main St., Sumner, WA 98390
253-863-2800
MEMORIAL DONATIONS: Lewy Body Dementia Association www.lbda.org or to your local Food Bank
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CARE AND COMFORT FROM THE FAMILY TO: Staff at Good Samaritan Hospice of Puyallup and Paragon Adult Family Home
