He was born in Greenville, SC on November 27, 1952 to Floy (Norwood) Rackley and A.D. Rackley (both deceased). He is survived by wife Dorothy; children Doug Rackley, Elizabeth Summers (Husband Sean), Samuel Rackley (Wife Sophie Gehuchadze), and Olivia Rackley; grandson Atticus Perrin; siblings Joel Rackley and Karen Rackley; and nephews Nick Rackley and Brendan Rackley.
Dorothy and Ron met in a Bible study in June 1985 in Northern Virginia; Ron had knocked on the townhouse door where the Bible study was taking place and asked, “Is this the home where the religious fanatics are meeting?” He was warmly welcomed. Married in Manassas Virginia on June 15, 1986, Ron and Dorothy lived in Reston and Alexandria, Virginia before moving to Bradenton, Florida in January 1993. Three children were born in Northern Virginia and Olivia was born in Florida: Olivia in an ambulance on the way to a Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Two children now reside in Washington State and two children and Grandson reside in Florida.
Known by some as the Rt. Rev. Dr. R. F. Fields, he was beloved in his field for his passion of “all things radio.” He discovered the family radio at 3 years old and from the youngest age, he said that “it seemed to him that radio was like magic.” Studies in mathematics and electrical engineering allowed him to understand and practice that “magic.”
Ron attended Parker High School in Greenville, SC and graduated in 1978 from Clemson University with an electrical engineering degree. Ron worked in both radio and television stations beginning in his high school years and served as chief radio operator in college. After completion of his formal education at Clemson he worked at Palmer A. Greer & Associates in Greenville, SC and at Jules Cohen & Associates in Washington, DC. Ron also worked at Kintronic Laboratories in Bristol, TN. In 1983, Ron co-founded du Treil – Rackley Consulting Engineers in Washington, DC which later became du Treil, Lundin and Rackley in 1987, and moved to Sarasota, Florida in late 1992.
We terribly miss this beloved man; a son, brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, coworker and friend. Surely goodness and mercy will follow him all his days as Ron now dwells in God’s house forever.
A funeral service is planned for Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Cornerstone Church of Lakewood Ranch, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch, Florida, 34202 at 1:30 pm. A reception and a celebration of his life will be held at a later date that will be announced.
Charitable contributions can be made in Ron’s name to Prison Fellowship International at pfi.org or The Voice of the Martyrs at www.persecutions.com.
