THE ADVOCATE 269
VOL. 79 PART 2 MARCH 2021
looked worried, Ron rose from the bench and slowly walked through the
infield, looking directly at the lawyer on the other side. He stopped inches
away from the now perspiring lawyer, looked down at him and in a quiet
voice said, “That singing will stop, now.” The lawyer was already making
frantic movements with his arms to shut down the singing. Word got around
the league. It was the end of derogatory noises from any teams playing
T-ball against Ron’s team.
Ron brought to the bench those same skills he had in practice: patience
in listening to witnesses and counsel, a low-key approach and an appreciation
for and the ability to weigh the evidence and determine the relevant
facts. The result of that, combined with his businesslike approach in court,
was that very few of his decisions were appealed. And as one of his colleagues
said, “Ron had the right judicial temperament.”
Ron retired from the bench in 2009.
During his years on the bench and following retirement, Ron and Naomi
loved to travel and did so often on short notice. They took many ocean and
riverboat cruises and spent extended times in Palm Desert, on the Big
Island of Hawaii and on Maui, often with other members of the bench and
their spouses.
Ron loved the music of Johnny Cash and Stompin’ Tom. That says it all.
He and his wife were members of Point Grey Golf and Country Club.
There, he spent many hours with good friends who were very forgiving of
his lack of golfing skills.
Ron had fun with golf. One of his fellow members at the golf club remembers
him as enjoying the fresh air and companionship and caring little
about his score. Ron’s wit was evident even there. Another member offered
this reminiscence: “His deft, succinct pricking of many people’s oratory balloons,
mine included, is now legend.” Another said Ron didn’t have the best
drive at the club. The comment would not have bothered Ron. He would
have laughed. If he hit a good shot, he took pleasure in it. When he hit a bad
one, he never got upset. That was Ron. He accepted life as it came. His
relaxed attitude stood him in good stead in the last few years of his life when
many bad things, health-wise, happened. To him, that was just the way it
was, and he took those things with the same calm acceptance he had taken
whatever else happened to him in life.
Ron died on September 25, 2020.
He was a good man and will be missed.
W.J. Sullivan, Q.C.