Ronnie E. Veselka

Ronnie E. Veselka, 68, passed away on January 6th, 2016 at home with his family by his side. Ronnie aggressively and courageously battled pancreatic cancer for 21 months. He was determined to travel, play golf and create memories with his friends, family and grandsons for as long as he could and he did just that. He even earned the nickname “Superman” from his doctor for continuously defying the odds against him during the first year of his illness.

Ronnie was born in Refugio, TX on September 6, 1947 to Johnie and Gertrude Veselka. He grew up in Placido and graduated from Bloomington High School. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Math with a Minor in Physics from Texas A&I University in Kingsville and later earned a Master of Education from the University of Houston.

Ronnie retired in 2005 after 35 years with the Houston Independent School District. He began his career in 1970 as an eighth grade math teacher at E.O. Smith Middle School and went on to hold many different positions where he impacted the lives of not only students, but also teachers, administrators and communities as a whole. From teaching math, he moved to district administration in the Research and Evaluation Department. His management and problem-solving skills served him well as he moved into various roles including Area, District and Assistant Superintendent, Principal of Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, and General Manager of Human Resources. Even after retirement, the District called upon Ronnie to work on several special projects, including District-wide fingerprinting, managing the move to the new administration building, various compliance issues, the 2012 BOND initiative, and the annexation of North Forest ISD.

Having spent much of his childhood living on a ranch, Ronnie loved the outdoors and spending time at his home in The Hill Country on Lake Travis. He especially enjoyed boating, water skiing, fishing and playing golf.

Ronnie is preceded in death by his father, Johnie Veselka, and his brother, Norman Veselka. He is survived by his wife, Rosie Veselka, his mother, Gertrude Veselka, his daughter, Kimberly (Jeremy) Luth and his two grandsons, Kai and Kol.

Visitation will be held at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home on Sunday, January 10th at 6pm followed by a time of reflection for family and friends beginning at 7:00pm. A service and celebration of his life will be held at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home on Monday, January 11th at 12:30pm.

Pallbearers will be Ronnie’s cousins Robert Wotipka and Danny Neskora and friends Clyde Hough, Tom Tamborello, Dr. Michael Mauldin, and Ken Huewitt.

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