Ronald Francisco

ORLEANS — Ronald L. Francisco, 74, passed away on September 27, 2012 at his home in Orlean, MA. Born on February 25, 1938, in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, to William and Dorothy Francisco, he graduated from Grosse Pointe High School in 1956 and served in the U.S. Navy in Corpus Christi, TX for two years.

He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1962 and the Detroit College of Law in 1967 before practicing as a tax attorney. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service and then a number of large corporations, including Chrysler in Michigan and Pneumo Abex Corporation in Boston. In the early 1990’s he returned to the Internal Revenue Service, where he retired in the 2000’s.

He lived in the Detroit area until the early 1970’s when he moved to the Boston area. In 1995 he moved to Harwich, and then finally to Orleans in 2005 as an initial owner at the community at 18 West Road, where he served on the Board of Trustees for several terms. There, he made a number of cherished close and loyal friends.

His interests ranged from the ancient to the modern: He maintained an extensive library in the areas of general & military history, classic & modern literature, and religious studies. Having introduced computers into the corporate tax departments he managed, he always had a personal computer in his home from the early 1980’s on, and he was looking forward to purchasing the new IPhone 5. He was also a decades-long season ticket holder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and later also the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra. He was an early adopter of compact discs, building a large collection of classical music, including all works of Mozart. Ron was a lifelong supporter of Michigan Wolverines football, but he and his son also had Boston College Eagles season tickets for a number of years.

He is survived by his son Peter F. Francisco and wife Heather, and his grandson Lucan. He is also survived by his sister Diane (Francisco) Smith and her family: Nephew Randy Smith, niece Sherri Smith-Gwiazdon, and their children.

He displayed admirable dedication to his ongoing recovery after being struck by a car in 2010. After his return home in 2011, he never failed to show appreciation for the support he received, and he was a source of inspiration to others.

Visitation to take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at Nickerson Funeral Home in Orleans. Services to be held Saturday October 6, 2012, 1 p.m. at St.Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 625 Main Street, Chatham, MA. Burial will be at Orleans Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Autism Research group of the University of Michigan’s Center for Human Growth & Development, 3003 S. State Street, Suite 9000, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1288. For online condolences please visit http://www.nickersonfunerals.com/.

Nickerson Funeral Home 508-255-0259