Ronald John Ciani

Ronald John Ciani died, at the age of 85, in Austin on February 7, 2017. Born in Chicago on August 4, 1931 to Mario and Mary Ciani, Ron was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Paul, and his wife, Elaine. He is survived by his sisters, Marianne Attal and Evelyn Schneider, his children, Rhonda Balling, Kenny, Dennis and David, his eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will begin on Thursday evening, February 9, at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, located at 6100 North Lamar Blvd., from 6:00 to 8:00 with a Rosary beginning at 7:00. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 10, at St. Louis King of France Catholic Church (located at 7601 Burnet Rd.) followed by a luncheon at 11:45 in Wozniak Hall.

A letter Ron wrote to President Roosevelt in 1942, at the age of 10, offering advice on how to win the war was an early sign of his concern for the world around him and his compassion for others. Ron attended St. Philip High School in Chicago where his Catholic faith was formed and became the corner stone for which he based his life. Like many of his generation, Ron believed “actions speak louder than words” and demonstrated his faith by the way he lived his life. His dedication to hard work, family life, and community were the principal characteristics of his life. Ron enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and was honorably discharged in 1955 a Staff Sargent and received the National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Ron’s advancement in the Air Force was due to his attention to details and strong work ethic. Entering the military with just a high school degree, Ron took finance and accounting courses at night and worked his way up the ranks in the Finance Office. While stationed in Austin, Ron met his wife of 63 years at Barton Springs. The story has it that his scheduled deployment overseas was cancelled so he and a buddy went to Barton Springs where he met Elaine. Never the shy one, Elaine invited Ron to her home that evening for a bar-b-que dinner and to meet her family. Two weeks later, Ron shipped out to Japan, but the two corresponded and when he returned four months later they started going together and married one year and three months after that fateful day at Barton Springs.

Ron’s love for Elaine and eagerness to start a family, led him away from his dream to become a CPA. Ron’s early career was spent working with his father-in-law, Wolfred Attal, managing A & A Liquor on East 11th street, one of two such stores owned by Wolfred and his brother, Gus. A desire to do more for his growing family, Ron began attending night classes at Durham’s Business College earning an associate’s degree in Data Programming. Ron began a successful career as Data Processing Manager for Wilson Oxygen & Supply around 1976 where he worked until retiring in 1996 at the age of 65. While raising a family, Ron stayed connected to the community serving as a member of the church choir, a Boy Scout Leader, and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

Throughout Ron’s life, he demonstrated a love for music, science and nature and expressed that love through his hobbies: stamp collecting, photography, and gardening – all of which he conducted while listening to classical music. His stamp collecting began as a young boy and was built into an extensive collection of volumes and boxes of stamps from around the world. While his collection of photographs includes many pictures of his wife and children, Ron most loved to photograph a single flower or the natural landscape. But above all, gardening was the hobby he most enjoyed during his life and particularly in retirement. Ron served as Treasurer of the Austin Rose Society and became a Master Gardener. What sets a Master Gardener apart from other home gardeners is their special training in horticulture and their commitment to share their knowledge with the community. The helping of others and need to communicate with diverse groups of people was the perfect outlet for Ron in retirement. Although he enjoyed working in his home Rose and Orchid garden he loved the social and community aspect of being a Master Gardener.

While hard work was the means to build and nurture the family that he loved, it was his enjoyment of family that truly defined this man and his personality. Anyone who knew him knew a man self-possessed. A quality best demonstrated by his engaging smile and penchant for whistling a tune while lost in the activity of the moment.

“I said to the almond tree, ‘sister, speak to me about God’. And the almond tree blossomed.”(Nikos Kazantzakis) Ron’s Catholic faith taught him that the purpose of one’s Life is to love and serve the Lord by becoming the best version of yourself. Like the almond tree in full bloom, Ron’s life spoke to us about God and in our remembrances he speaks to us still.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org)