Ronald See

Ronald F. See was born April 27th 1943 in Iowa City, Iowa to Mary Elizabeth and Retired Lieutenant Colonel Harold See. Ron moved to California from Iowa in 1950 with his Mother, Stepdad Ivan and brother Roger. Soon to be joined by siblings, Russell and Rebecca. He lived in Long Beach and went to St. Lucy’s Catholic School. In 1955, Mary and Ivan moved to Anaheim with their children. Ron went to Brookhurst Junior High School where he played Football and Basketball. He then went to Western High School for his final 3 years where he continued playing sports with basketball being his passion. He then went to Long Beach State and got his degree in electrical engineering. Upon graduating, he began his career at Hughes Aircraft and continued to work as an electrical engineer where he ended up working with NAVSEA up until his passing. His colleague was kind enough to send us the following which more aptly describes the importance Ron had in his career: The U.S. Navy mission relies heavily on the employment of Towed Array SONAR sensors to counter ever-quieting surface ship and submarine threats. Ron was an instrumental and influential member of the Towed Array SONAR community for the past 40 plus years and was affectionately referred to as the "Grandfather of Towed Arrays". Ron's experience spanned the full life-cycle spectrum from inception, development, procurement, fielding of several Towed Array programs. Ron was most notably known for his support to the highly reliable TB-23 Towed Array Program. Earlier in his career Ron was a member of first group which utilized the Navy's Test Facility at Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho in the early 1990s to test several prototype towed arrays, which ultimately shortened the development time and significantly reduced the test-related costs for the TB-23 Towed Array Program. More recently, Ron has been working directly with major Defense Contractors in the implementation of state-of-the-art electronics to replace obsolete towed array components, thus ensuring these towed arrays will be supportable for years to come. The overall success of the TB-23 and other Towed Array Programs are a direct result of Ron's vast knowledge, experience and years of dedicated hard work. Ron took great pride in serving the fleet every single day - and his entire career stand as a testament to his life-long commitment to keeping our sailors safe at sea. With work responsibilities on both coasts, in 1977 Ron’s travel for work brought him to Mystic, Connecticut where he met his future wife, Sherry. They started their life together with their four children in Westminster, CA in a home that was never quiet. Between camping trips to Baja, Mexico, attending all his children and grandchildren's sporting events, hosting endless family gatherings ("it issss") with countless games of Uno and Yahtzee, there was never a dull moment. Not to mention all his traveling, whether it be road trips across the country or traveling to many parts of the world with one of his favorites being Normandy, France. Ron had the deepest respect for those who served and continue to serve in the armed forces, so it was a very moving experience for him. Ron lived such a full life that had many interests. Some fun facts: Traveled to Hawaii 25-30 times but never put his toes in the sand until he took Sherry, where she dragged him to the shoreline. Became a certified scuba diver at the age of 60. Ron AKA, Fritz, has a love of cats, hitting the slots...and winning (unlike his wife), learning the hustle, playing both the guitar and accordion, finding the most random back road places like Oatman, computer repairman to all his friends and family, addiction to the latest technology and largest TV's and, the most eclectic taste in music with Elvis being one of his favorites. Ron was preceded in death by his father, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Harold W. See, his mother, Mary E. Henry, his Stepfather, Ivan Henry and his sister Rebecca Hall. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Sherry See, his daughter Beth Goodrow (Doug), son Brian See, son Tom Toland (April), and daughter Tina LaRocca. His grandchildren Brandon, Bridgette and Griffin. His brothers Roger See (Susan), Russell Henry (Donna), Tom See (Carol), his sister Suzanne Rogers and brother-in-law John Hall as well as several nieces and nephews. Oh, and Sissy... In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to consider donating to The Independence Fund. This organization provides support and resources for wounded Veterans to help achieve independence. www.independencefund.org/page/donate