Ron Beimel's Many Journeys

 Ron making a Christmas Cracker gift for his girlfriend at the old loft in 2010.

Ron's passing was reported in the news because of the international tragedy of it. But how he passed was but a metaphor for how he lived, striving for heights, challenging himself, and representing the best of humankind in his actions.

                                

My husband was close friends with Ron's father Steve before Ron was born. Paul gave Ron a plush piggy when he was just a baby and this super cool, accomplished man unapologetically kept that piggy. He'd proudly tell Paul he still had it when we'd go to their home for dinners through the years even though he was a lanky teenager at the time. Above Paul and Ron in China as part of a large tour group coordinated by Ron's father. They remain life long friends.

I was privileged to know Ron and his family and delighted to watch Ron grow up into one of the most fiercely talented people I've known. He was a virtuoso on piano and violin, high-level warrior in multiple martial arts, a fine operatic singer, highly active in numerous social clubs at his university, highest-level graduate of the most prestigious language/translation school, fluent in multiple languages to the point of being a sought after live translator. Before his passing on the Himalayan expedition, Ron was leading tours to Asia in the tour company his father founded.

He leaves a great lack in the world at a time when we need every upstanding, hard-working, gifted individual we can hold. Ron was his parent's only child together. Ritsuko and Steve demonstrated the noblest and admirable strength at the enormous loss of their beautiful son. It was as if his needing to leave had been explained to their hearts by angels. 

He passed in June of 2019 at the age of 34 and I could only come to tell you about it now.