Loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. Ron and Shirley (preceded in death) made their home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 89 years old.
Ron was born in the farming town of Eldon Missouri, the son of Margaret Watson. He grew up in Eldon and graduated from Eldon High School – Class of 1951.
In 1955, Ron met the love of his life Shirley A. Eckerle of Jefferson City, Missouri. Ron, forever being the romantic, slipped Shirley a note on their first date reading: “I’m going to marry you”! After a 6 month courtship, they were married on September 3rd, 1955 and were happily married for over 66 years! He still carried that note in his wallet until his death.
As a legacy of their marriage, there are seven surviving children: Cindy L. Ward (Gary), Daniel B. Myers (Janis), Gregory K. Myers (Debbie, Preceded in death), Bruce A. Myers (Patti), Richard L. Myers (Kristine), Sally A. Myers (Patti Tone) and Paul J. Myers (Kimberly), 18 Grandchildren and 20 Great Grandchildren (and one on the way).
Ron furthered his education with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Missouri, Columbia Missouri – Class of 1957.
Ron’s Electronic Engineering career started at Argonne National Laboratory followed by Emerson Electrical Company as a Radar Engineer. One of the projects he worked on there was a remote controlled closed circuit TV system for the rear gunner’s position in aircraft for the US Air Force.
In 1966, Ron joined Monsanto’s Electrical division as Senior Engineer. He focused on electrical instrument measuring devices. Monsanto transferred his family from St. Louis, Missouri to Parsippany, New Jersey and later to Boulder, Colorado. He was named to Digital Products Manager.
One of Ron’s passions was designing and building specialized power supplies. He was delighted to accept the offer for the position of Vice President of Engineering at Tecnetics in Boulder, Colorado in 1970. During this time, he helped engineer power supplies that were included in the NASA Space Shuttle program.
In 1983, Ron accepted a position at Motorola in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was excited to continue working with power supplies but this time for the telecommunications industry. The Iridium program was the first worldwide satellite communication system for handheld devices and Ron was instrumental to it’s design.
In 1998, Ron and Shirley retired to their home in Scottsdale. They loved to travel the globe and explore new places. He also continued to consult in his spare time with companies who were designing the Iridium II program.
Shirley eventually developed medical issues and Ron provided for her care. During this time he found a passion for cooking and baking.
Ron had a great love of family and was always up for family gathering. Little did he know, being an only child that he would have the love of a large family. He had unconditional love for his family and always treated every child equally, no matter what. As the family’s mentor, Ron took the time to teach practical problem solving, involving his kids in home projects and repairs. He took an active part in developing his kid’s skills in sports, especially baseball. They always felt like they had a safety net in everything they did. His infectious sense of humor and quick wit lives on in his children. He treated everyone with genuine respect, kindness and generosity. He was on a first name basis with many of the waiters and waitresses in restaurants he frequented. Ron always met others with a friendly smile and open heart.
Ron’s other passions were rooting for his favorite sports teams, the Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals. He also enjoyed a challenging game of chess.
Ron was a devout Catholic and a member of Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church for many years.
He will be missed greatly by his family and friends. His children are so incredibly proud and blessed to have called him Dad.