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Ron Davis

March 3, 1960 - December 15, 2017
Kalamazoo, MI

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Service

Tuesday, December 19, 2017
11:00 AM EST
Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes
Kalamazoo Location
6080 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 375-2900
Driving Directions

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

SPCA of SouthWest Michigan
6955 West KL Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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All who knew Ronald Davis would agree that he was the heartbeat of wherever he was. He was a vibrant and fun-loving guy with a zest for life that was contagious to all who were near. Ron was a family man through and through, and there was nothing he loved more than being surrounded by his family and friends. He was known for his sarcastic sense of humor, and he loved making those around him laugh. Life will never be the same without Ron, but he leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that his loved ones will forever hold near and dear to their hearts.

It seems only fitting that Ron’s journey began during a time that was as vibrant as he was. It was the 1960’s when we elected the young John F. Kennedy as our 35th President of the United States, when civil rights were in the forefront of our news, and as the decade grew to a close, we put the first man on the moon.

It was on March 3, 1960, that Donald and Mary Lou (Kimble) Davis were pleased to announce the birth of a baby boy they named Ronald. Although he was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he was raised in the family home in Vicksburg as the fifth of eleven children in his family. He was close to all his siblings including Debbie, Donald, Trish, Brenda, Lisa, Lori, Randy, Jeff, Tony, and Kris, and they remained that way throughout his entire life. Ron attended local schools where he was active in many sports, playing football, basketball, although baseball was his passion. He played first base for Vicksburg High School and went on to graduate in 1979. Ron also played some baseball for KCC and KVCC here in West Michigan.

Throughout his life Ron was one to work hard. He started working at Sears in security asset protection. Later on, Ron became a credit manager for Sears and then transferred to Vandenberg Furniture. He enjoyed his work there and was close with his co-workers for 14 years. Ron was currently working as the service manager there.

Although his work was important to him, Ron loved being with his family and friends. They could talk for hours, and it had been said that Ron was just a different person when he was with his family. Fourth of July was usually spent with the whole family up at Debbie’s, there were football gatherings, and he never missed Saturday morning coffee with Trish and Dick.

Ron lived the life of a bachelor for many years. However, new and exciting changes were in store for Ron when he was introduced to René through friends. They began dating and soon found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to establish a life together, Ron and René were married on April 2, 2004, at Unity Church in Kalamazoo. She brought two kids into their marriage, Samantha and Josh, and Ron loved them as his own. He had nicknames for everyone including “Beep” for Samantha, “Bug” for Josh, and “Momma Chicken” for René. He even had these nicknames as entries in his phone! He was a family man first and foremost, and for René, Ron was her rock no matter what came their way.

As his family and friends can attest, Ron was a man of many interests. He and René frequently golfed together. They were on a Friday night couples league at Ridgeview, and enjoyed spending time with each other doing various activities. In his early years, he was exclusively a Bud Light man but he developed a taste for microbrews which turned into a hobby of discovering breweries across Michigan. His first and favorite brewery was One Well here in Kalamazoo. He loved pizza, the more toppings the better; he was also known to just get whatever was on special.

Ron was a baseball coach for most of Josh’s life, starting with little league all the way up to high school baseball at Portage Northern. Although he took practice seriously, Ron incorporated the perfect mix of encouragement and humor into his coaching style. Ron was a diehard University of Michigan football fan,along with all of his siblings. He never missed a game, whether it was attending and tailgating, or watching from home with family and friends.

Ron was a music lover who enjoyed everything, especially anything from the 70’s and 80’s. Rene had even recently got him into country music. At the drop of a hat, Ron usually knew the artist of every song he heard. Ron loved to banter about politics, especially with his brother-in-law Russ (in good nature of course) on Facebook, and he was a faithful Democrat.

He had a special place in his heart for all animals, and what started as sharing his home with two cats grew to include three dogs and one more additional cat, all who became an important part of Ron’s life. His living pets his two dogs, Lil’ E. Davis and Mad E. Davis. He will be meeting up with three very special cats and his buddy Max the dog on the Rainbow Bridge.

There was no one who met Ronald Davis that was left unchanged. He was trustworthy, genuine, and welcoming with a way of just putting others at ease. Ron was someone who loved the simple life and thought the best gifts were things he just absolutely needed and not much else. Known as “RonPa” to some, Ron had the most sarcastic sense of humor that always made others laugh. His love and devotion to his family was unmatched, and he was the sort of person everyone knew they could count on. Ron was an early riser as his days commonly started at four or five, and he was incredibly chipper.

Deeply loved, he will be forever missed.

Ronald Davis, of Kalamazoo, died unexpectedly December 15, 2017, at his home. Ron’s family includes his wife, René Davis; 2 children: Samantha Loudin (Kori Adams) and Josh Loudin (Alexa Idzkowski); 10 siblings: Debbie (Russ) Lowell, Donald (Barb) Davis, Trish (Dick) O’Brien, Brenda Kovach, Lisa (Mike) Lewman, Lori (Dominic) Lindsley, Randy Lewman, Jeff (Pam) Lewman, Tony (Candace) Lewman, and Kris (Dave) Brumett; and dozens of nieces and nephews. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and step-father, Bob Lewman. Services will be held Tuesday 11 a.m. at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, 6080 Stadium Dr. Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900. Please visit Ron’s personal web page at www.betzlerfuneralhome.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to SPCA of Southwest Michigan at: http://www.spcaswmich.org/.

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