Spouse: Maridale Eidson
Children: Lori (Ron) Riggles, Melissa (Peter) Macchia, Chris (Beth) Eidson
Parents: Ernest and Hazel Eidson
9 Grandchildren: Trey, Mari Caitlin, and Emily Riggles
Naomi, Ethan, Julian, and Lucas Macchia
Joel and Miles Eidson
In lieu of flowers please honor Ron by either contributing or donating time to the Salvation Army and their work to care for the homeless.
Ronald Dean Eidson was born on December 20, 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Ernest and Hazel Eidson. He was the fifth child of seven, and the only one to be born in the big city. This quickly earned him the nickname “Dude,” in reference to his city slicker status, a name his family called him all his life. Ron’s father worked for the railroad and the Eidson children grew up close to the tracks. Watching train after train pass by instilled in Ron a desire to see as much of the world as possible, something he would go on to do with both passion and determination.
Ron attended college at the University of Tulsa and graduated with a degree in chemistry. He also played baseball and was such an excellent left-handed pitcher that he was spotted by a talent scout for the St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately, before he was able to sign a contract, he was drafted into the army to serve during the Vietnam war. The upside of this was that the Army, and eventually the Air National Guard, provided him with the opportunity to see the world. He visited all fifty states and over twenty-five different countries. Perhaps no one has ever taken advantage of the opportunity to see our great planet as much as he did. Even a twenty-four-hour layover in a new place would find Ron forgoing a night’s sleep to dash out and see all he could before taking off again. One of his favorite places was Germany, where he had the good fortune to live for many years. While there, he and his much-loved dog, Suzette, explored Europe thoroughly, something he documented in the many slide shows he took pride in sharing.
In 1977 Ron was back in the states and working as a research chemist for Amoco when he was set up on a blind date with Maridale. He was in love by the second date, proposed on the third, (although she took longer than that to say yes), and married on April 28, 1978. Maridale came to the marriage with three children from a previous marriage who he immediately accepted as his own. He often spoke of how lucky he was to marry into a ready-made family, and his wife and children certainly felt the same. He shared with them all his love of travel and adventure, something the entire family still loves today. If there is a backroad with a reputed view in this country of ours, you can guarantee that the Eidson family has seen it, often in the dead of night with the promise of a hotel room after seeing, “just one more thing.”
After a move to Wyoming in the early eighties, and at the young age of 42, Ron suffered a severe stroke. He would never regain the use of his right side, but did not let it get him down. The difficulties he faced as he worked towards a new normal were shouldered without complaint and with a positive outlook. He credited a strong faith in God as something that helped him through the challenges brought on by his stroke, and he certainly lived a life that kept Christ at the center.
A move to Alabama in 1987 eventually led to one of the greatest joys of his life which were his grandchildren. He loved all nine of them dearly, but never got his wish for an even ten, despite requesting that frequently. He was able to enjoy the infant and toddler days that he missed out on in his own children, and he loved every minute of it. They loved him, too, and even though they never traveled with him farther than the ride around the block Papa loved to give them on his scooter, they heard story after story of the exciting places he visited. As a result, they have grown to love travel and appreciate the wonders of the world just as he did.
Ron will be deeply missed by his family, but they take comfort in knowing that his body is whole again and that he has eternity before him to see all he needs to see. They plan to honor him by keeping the love he had for this wonderful world alive through their own travels, knowing that this is exactly what he would want them to do.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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